ReBirth
by Hasegawa-Michiyo
Summary: Michelle is a Historian and has been fascinated with Nosgoth's dark history since she was a little girl. Her grandfathers team of researchers find an old device that can transport them through time, found on the plains of Nosgoth. She brazenly uses the device to carry her through the loops of time; Determined to discover Nosgoth's long forgotten history.
1. Discovery

**ReBirth**

**-Hasegawa-Michiyo-**

**Chapter 1**

**Discovery**

_Chapter Update: March 31, 2013_

_I have been reworking my story in an attempt to fix all the terrible spelling errors. I have even added and changed a few things as I am attempting to make my story more dynamic. I wrote this a long time ago, and as such my writing skills have grown since then. Each chapter will have the month, date, and year it is updated. This will let you know which chapters have be rewritten._

_Thank you for taking the time to read my story, and I hope you enjoy it. Reviews are always welcome._

* * *

Sweat beads on my forehead, so I use my arm to wipe the perspiration before it drips down my face. The humidity has reached its peak in the middle of the day and I find myself slowly drifting off to the sound of the birds singing in the tree tops. The dull buzzing of various insects invade my senses as I start to grow dreary.

Today was no ordinary day. In fact, it is this moment in which my life will change forever and I will no longer be the same person because of it. It has only been a day, since I defiantly used the time streaming device are team of archeologists found a year earlier. Of which I now travel Nosgoth's mysterious past on a hunt for its true history.

I had come across a large forest, with the pillars just beyond the woodland and mountains. I'm leaning up against a large oak tree now, resting my eyes after a long walk, with my sketch book on my lap. A half-finished drawing of the vegetation around me waits to be finished, but the heat of the day has drained the life out of me. I slowly start to nod off…

My head droops and my whole body jumps back to reality. I look around frantically and my eraser falls off my sketchbook in the process, rolling to the right side of the tree. Had I fallen asleep? This irreplaceable feeling sweeps over me as I scan my surroundings.

It reminds me of the moment my friends and I were walking in the woods on a camping trip, back when we were just children; a strange feeling that makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. Feeling like millions of tiny spiders crawling up your back and neck. It was almost like we were being watched that day. I still do not know what had frightened us so much that night, but I will never forget that feeling.

I turn to pick up my eraser and when I lean around the right side of the tree, I come face to face with a demon. His face is a few inches away from mine and it feels like I'm staring into his intelligent glowing eyes for hours. He appears to be just as surprised as I am.

I quickly turn back around to my side of the tree, sitting here franticly searching for an escape. I don't know how to react at this moment. I am so in shock I can't move my legs and I'm sitting here like a blithering idiot. I will probably be dead in a few seconds if I don't do something quickly.

I slowly and quietly peek around the side of the tree I had just seen him. Nobody appears to be there anymore. Had I only imagined this? Maybe I did fall asleep while I was resting my eyes. I could very well still be sleeping, so I pinch myself to make sure. I don't know how this is a justified method to distinguish between sleeping and awake, but what else do I have.

Standing up, I get a huge dizzy spell, feeling slightly nauseous. I turn around only to see the demon standing a few feet away from me. I scream, tripping over one of the tree roots, and falling onto my rear end. It wasn't even a good scream, it was more like a pathetic whimper. He stands there scowling down at me.

He has a very demonic appearance. His blazing eyes stare me down, inquisitive yet serious. His skin is a bluish color. Well, he doesn't exactly have skin, but he has a bluish hue of sorts. His whole midsection is missing - amongst other things. His ribs and hips are clearly visible and the more I examine him, the clearer I can see his muscular tissue and tendons; like his skin had been eaten off by acid, but less grotesque.

Three large claws replace his fingers and instead of feet, he has two cloven hooves. Tattered sheets hang lifelessly behind him, which I assume had once been wings upon closer inspection. Quite interesting? All he's wearing is a cowl, torn gloves, and some rusty metal boots. He is too close for me to get away now and if I run away it will probably make me more of a target.

I stand up and brush myself off to make myself more presentable. I meet his powerful gaze and he straightens his posture, to a more assertive pose. I look back to the events that brought me here, to this instant, and I begin to question the things I had said to my father before I left. I have no idea how I ended up here, where my fragile life now lay in the hands of this creature…

(Three days prior)

It was one year to this day that my grandfather - Walter Rose, had ordered a team of Archeologists to search a cave found on the plains of Nosgoth. Just west of the Great South Lake and about an hour and a half drive from Meridian, Nosgoth's capital.

What we discovered will change the way we view the very fabric of space and time. An ancient machine that dates back to the 12th century, which from our research, could transport objects, even people through time.

It sounds implausible, almost too fantastical to believe, that this era of time could have made such a machine. But when we sent a team or researchers through the device, we were shocked by the outcome.

The device actually appeared to transport them to a different time period when adjusting the dials on the far wall. It was incredible and we've never been this excited and thrilled. The things we could discover are endless and I'm more determined now then I have ever been in my life.

Although, William Maalouf - the sponsor of our excavation, has taken all the credit for our discoveries. My grandfather does all the work only to have his countless hours of research and planning snatched away from him by this clown. Who actually showed no sign of interest in our project to begin with?

It took my Grandfather years to get the okay on the project. During which, I have been studying to get my PhD, specializing in Nosgothic history. He has been in a constant battle with Nosgoth's government to let a team of international Archeologists into the caverns. Not to mention trying to convince Mr. Maalouf to fund our project.

When my grandfather and I began to study the strange machine for three rigorous years, we discovered the machines true purpose. Soon after announcing our findings, Maalouf took a sudden burst of interest in our research. He of course offered funding in exchange for ownership of our discoveries. We had no choice but to comply, as we were running out of grants to continue our study.

My grandfather runs a research facility in New York City, in Washington square, which studies Nosgoth's deranged history. With me as the lead researcher of the project. We call Nosgoth's history deranged due to the fact that most of its past remains unspoken or unknown for that matter. We believe supernatural forces charted its history long ago. Some say Vampires and demons, but we do not know for sure.

That is why my Grandfather has hired a man named Micheal Alans to do the excavation through time to discover Nosgoth's many secrets. As far as I'm concerned I was the one who deserved that spot. I've worked so hard to get to where I am, only to have somebody come along and sweep it out from under my feet. My grandfather - of all people, should know very well how that feels.

Alans knows nothing about the history of this civilization or its people. Anybody would kill for that position, because finding this machine is a perfect way to find out what really happened…

"Michelle, I will discuss this no longer with you."

"I honestly don't see why I can't be the one to do this excavation" I try to persuade him, as I pursue him down the hall of our research facility.

"I'm fit, well-educated and I'm definitely more qualified then -" he raises his hand and cuts me off.

"Michelle, I am well aware of your talents, but I just cannot afford losing you." I know where this is going…

"You are my Granddaughter and I love you very much...and besides that, just think of what your father would think of me if I where to send you off on this excavation. What would we all do if something happened to you? You are my best and brightest researcher to boot. I simply cannot afford losing you. Besides, we need you here."

I have to admit, he holds a good argument. My father would be furious if my grandfather let me do this. After all, I'm all he has left after my mother passed away years ago. He has my sister too, but my father and I were always really close. As well, my sister would be left without a female role model to look up to.

I love my little sister. I'm practically her mother since that moron my father is engaged to pays little to no attention to her. But, I have to be the one to go, well I want to be. I can't let that pretty boy Michael have all the grandeur. Just imagine going back in time to Nosgoth's early history. I just wish it wouldn't hurt my family so much.

"I'm really sorry Michelle, I know how important this is to you. But it is for your best interest dear". I have to give him credit for trying to comfort me, or for at least trying to understanding my situation.

"It's okay Grandpa, I understand. I'll get over it by tomorrow I'm sure..." A smile should be convincing enough for him.

"Alright than..." He seems relieved.

"We should get some rest Michelle. You will be here in the morning to help Michael prepare for his big day? We could use your help and expertise."

"Yes, I would love too..." I plaster the biggest, phoniest smile I can, then make my way home to get some rest.

My Grandfather, he is such a caring and compassionate person and my father is not much different. They both have a very wise man's personality. The only difference between the two is my Grandfather's chipper, outgoing personality. My father is more relaxed and mellow; he has always been someone you could talk too about anything.

My sister really takes after him physically, but takes after my Grandfather with the jumpy chipperness. I on the other hand, have taken after my mother, we were like twins; Headstrong and determined as ever. I really didn't want to disappoint anybody by doing something stupid. I need to get this idea out of my head and focus on what's important.

My cars in the shop, so I have no choice but to take the train. The number 6 goes up Park Ave to New Rochelle and takes about an hour to get there. It's a long ride but I don't mind it. I find train rides relaxing and it gives me time to think and reflect on things. Not like I need to be thinking more about the excavation…

When I get home, I can't stop thinking about that blasted time machine. It won't leave my mind; it's like a cancer taking me over. After all Nosgoth is my one true love. I've been fascinated with its history and folklore for as long as I can remember.

It's about 11:00 at night and supper is in the microwave. I'm not very hungry, so I decide to go to bed, but there is no chance of me falling asleep tonight. It is that damn time machine again, haunting me, tormenting me, filling my mind with envy for Michael. I think I can actually hear it calling my name...

"Argh! Get out!" I scream, pulling my pillow over my face.

I can hear my father coming through the door down stairs. He must have been working late tonight too. Since I'm not having any luck sleeping, I think I will go down stairs and talk with him for a little while and clear my head. I walk down stairs and into the kitchen. He is getting himself a glass of orange juice from the fridge when I walk in.

"Hello daddy." I walk over and give him a big huge.

"Oh, Michelle darling, what are you doing up so late?" he whispers.

"Didn't you say you were going to be helping Michael prepare in the morning for his big excavation" I can't see why he seems so surprised. Sometimes I wonder if he realizes I am a 24 year-old women and not a 6-year-old girl anymore who goes to bed at 8:00 pm. Even though I'm still living at home. I'm hoping to change that soon, once I finish my PhD.

"Yes well, I'm finding it hard to sleep tonight." I let a week smile show, I'm terrible at hiding things from him. He always brings the truth out in me.

"Ah I see, excited about the big day are you." He says sarcastically.

"Very..." I humor him.

"I'm really sorry if you want to be the one to do the excavation Michelle". He scans my expression. Sometimes I wonder if it's because we have similar interests and see through the same set of eyes. Maybe that's why I can't hide anything from him?

"But it is for the best that Alans does this excavation, After all he is a skilled fighter, fast thinker and has done many excavations in the past". I think I almost saw a twinkle in his eye. My father has always, in my point of view, seen and treated Michael Alans like a son. In fact, he is the one who recommended him for the job.

"You know he will do an excellent job." He nods and smiles.

"I know that dad."

"Good...I wouldn't want you running off and stealing Michael's place in the excavation". It's strange really, I have never really thought of it till now. I can assume it is possible for me to go to Nosgoth and go through the time streaming device before Micheal does, the day after tomorrow. After all, I'm the one who helped my Grandfather _"...Michelle"_ decipher the controls in the first place - "Michelle!"

"Oh! Sorry dad". Worry is cast all across his face.

"You wouldn't go off and do something like that would you?" He starts concentrating very hard on my face, probably trying to find any hint of my true motives.

"No! No, I would never dream of doing something that ridiculous...hahaha, really dad?" I chuckle.

_"…Would I?"_

My alarm clock goes off at 6:00 am. I remember what my dad had said that night, about sneaking off and stealing Michael's place in the excavation. I have never even thought of doing something that selfish and ill-conceived before. I don't know what's coming over me lately. I can only imagine the commotion it would cause from both my Father and my grandfather for that matter.

"No, I couldn't, I have to support Michael today…sigh."

It doesn't take me long to get ready. I throw on an old pair of jeans and a tank top; it will probably be a hot day, it is the middle of Summer. I have no time to eat any breakfast and nor do I want to. I quickly make my way to the station, to catch the train back to Washington square.

I've never been much of a large city girl, with all that hustle and bustle. I prefer the small towns where everybody knows one another I guess. But I'm sure it has its downsides. Like the nosey neighbours, the gossipers, and the lack of entertainment. Although, as a Historian, I think I would like the peace and quiet.

I have to run 6 blocks to catch my train. I've been meandering all day. It's a good thing I catch it, as it starts to rain. My mind flickers back to the time machine again and how marvelous it would be to travel back to the Gothic days of Nosgoth to unearth its little secrets. An over whelming sense of jealousy washes over me the more I think about. I don't know why I'm doing this to myself...

The hour flew by and I can see my stop coming up. When the doors slide open, I run swiftly to the research center and through the doors. I barley flash my pass at the lady behind the front desk. I don't want to keep Michael waiting. When I enter his temporary office I greet him with a smile and he does so in return.

"Good morning Michelle, did you sleep well?" He seems like such a sop at times, but he's always an engaging person to talk to. He is one of those guys that you can absolutely hate behind his back, but as soon as you meet him face-to-face you can't help but like him. He has a certain charm.

"Well as good as it will ever be"

"Yeah I know how you feel" He can't possibly know how I feel…god I am bitter this morning.

"...Hey look Michelle...I'm really sorry about you not being able to go and all." I meet his genuine gaze.

"I know you wanted to go pretty badly..." Wanted?

"It's okay Michael I'm fine, really."

"Are you sure?"

"Well there really isn't anything I can do about it, is there?" I grin at him. I hate when people give me fake apologies.

"I'm sure Michael."

"…Sorry" he is always saying that to. Personally, I don't think Michael would last a day or two in Nosgoth's past, fighting skills or not. He would probably hit someone and apologize for it.

"You don't have to apologize Michael." He fiddles with a pencil in his hand. He's so fidgety today?

"After all, you're the right man for the job." I take pity on him.

"You really think so?"

"Absolutely" There is something different in his eyes when I say this. I'm starting to regret it.

"You know, that really means a lot coming from you". He starts to come a little closer towards me.

"Oh…well…thank you". Feeling nervous and out of place, my female intuition starts working overdrive, telling me to get the hell out of here!

"You know Michelle, the real reason I was having trouble sleeping last night, had nothing to do with my excitement about going to Nosgoth's past."

_"Oh he's not doing what I think he's doing."_

"I was thinking of you."

_"I can't believe he's doing what I think he's doing."_ When he gets a few inches from my body he leans in to kiss me. It briefly makes contact before I have time to double back. Honestly I didn't think he had the confidence. Suddenly I don't feel sorry for him anymore.

"I can't believe the nerve you have!" I shove him away from me.

"You're angry at me?"

"Yes! I'm angry at you!"

"Why? You started it"

"ah..wh..tss..bu.." everything I try to say just gets crumpled up into one big ball and all that's left are half words...

"You're not serious!"

"Then explain to me this, 'After all you're the right man for the job'" he quotes me. I can't believe this. I'm getting ready to explode at this point.

"I was trying to be nice." I state coldly.

"Well, sorry little miss pompous, brat."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?!"

"I think you know full well what that means. Ms, who gets whatever she wants from daddy. Heaven forbid if someone else should get a say in the matter."

"You know what, fuck you! I worked very hard to get to where I am now and I've spent numerous sleepless nights to decipher that time machine, so your sorry ass can go through and have all the fun while people like me slave in the background without recognition…And if it weren't for my 'Daddy' you wouldn't be hear either, so shut it!" With that I storm out of the room, brushing past my grandfather on the way out.

I thought I should leave before I started saying horrible things. My mouth has a way of running off on me. I swear, I'm going to blow a fuse and I'm already starting to over react to this stupidity. What can I say, after being disappointed in past relationships, one really doesn't take kindly to people trying to seduce them.

I decide to go home and relax for a while, to get over it. It was a long ride out here, for nothing, but I can really care less at this point. He's the one who has to explain to my grandfather why I left in such a hurry. "Chuckle," I would have loved to have been there to see that awkward conversation.

When I get home I'm already starting to feel bad about over reacting to Michael. He is a man, a single man at that. Or maybe I'm just feeling embarrassed about the way I reacted. Speaking of over reacting, I can hear my father's 'Fiancé' in the kitchen, probably shaming my sister for doing something that didn't meet her standards. I think I should go stop her before Rachael starts to cry.

"Karen, stop it, now! She's just a child for crying out loud!"

"She is not a child anymore, she needs to start acting like a adult now and give up this childish nonsense!" She sounds hysterical.

"- and if you're not going to call me mom, than you can at least address me as Mrs Rose!" I don't know what my father sees in her…

"You are not my mother, or a part of this family yet. And In my opinion you really haven't done much to earn our respect to be a part of this." I say slowly and sternly. I can once again feel my blood beginning to boil. I have had it up to here with people today.

"Yes well, I'm marring your father, so that qualifies me as a part of this family and if not yours then this girl's mother."

"You will never be our mother! That is our mother!" I point to a picture on our fridge.

"And this 'girl' is named Rachael!"

"Your mother it gone! Why can't you two except that!" I can feel my eyes filling up with tears. Not tears of sadness, but tears of bitter rage.

I storm to the stairs and almost colliding with my father coming to see what all the commotion is about. I flop on my bed laying there in bitter silence listening to my father and his future wife bicker at one another.

I don't know why she would say something so insensitive. She can't honestly believe that logic. I need to get out and find my own apartment. I would have left ages ago if it wasn't for my sister and my studies. Although, I can afford it. Worst comes to worst, Rachael can always live with me for a little while.

It isn't long before it fell silent. I can only imagine what she said to him. Somehow convincing him it is my fault. She is poisoning his mind. Ever since they got engaged my father has changed. A little at first, but I'm noticing more and more changes this year. He's starting to reprimand me for things that she would disapprove of.

My eyes feel hot and puffy. It's starting to make me a bit sleepy. I close my eyes to escape into my own little world to get away from the chaos and I slowly start to drift off to sleep; drowning out the nightmares that surround me.

When I open my eyes, I hear a knock on the door. I answer and my father announces that supper is ready. I slowly walk down the stairs. Somehow, and I'm not sure why people are able to do this, but I can tell, maybe feel that something is going to happen that will change our family forever.

When I walk into the dining room, everybody looks unusually quit and still, even my sister. I say hello to everybody refusing eye contact with Karen. Nobody even looks at me and I notice there is no indication that supper has been made.

"Sit." My father sounds stern and discerning.

"I thought you said super was ready?" I ask glaring into his soul.

"Just sit down, Michelle." He presses his thumb and forefinger to his forehead in anguish.

"...But, what's going on?"

"I need to have to talk with everybody."

"Oh god. Dad, no, I'm not doing this."

"Sit down!" My sister starts crying.

"Be quit, Rachael!" He never yells at her.

"Don't talk to her like that, Dad!"

"Are you her mother, Michelle?! No! So I will talk to her however I want to! Do you hear me?" My mouth agape.

"Now! You're going to start listening to me around here"

"I can't believe you. You're letting her intoxicate you with this filth!"

"Michelle!"

"No! I can't stand back and watch her do this to you any longer! You need to know your place in this house, dad! Rachael's your daughter, I'm your daughter! Will you listen to your-"

"I know my place here! And it's time you learn yours and it is not here!" My eyes start to water and I can feel the tears run down my cheeks.

"...Dad?"

"You've lived at home far too long, and it's time for you to move out! You're putting stress on poor Karen here and I -"before he can finish I cut him off.

"Oh shut up dad...I've had enough of this. You know whats really going on here, cause we all do."

"Oh?"

"You're still in love with mom, dad. It's obvious to me, it's obvious to Grandpa, and it even obvious to Karen. That's why she's a belligerent mess! This is just a rebound or a distraction from the pain. How is that fare for Karen?"

"And I should take relationship advice from you?"

"Jesus dad, would you listen to yourself? If mom was still here, you wouldn't be talking to us like this. We're your family..."

"Well she not here now is she!" He stands up in his chair aggressively, making me jump in surprise.

"She's gone, Michelle! and she's not coming back! You're going to have to come to terms with that!"

"And it's your fault she's not!" I snap.

"You killed her dad, and I hope that you rot with that guilt!" His eyes lock onto mine, in complete shock and agony. I turn and rush out of the room. I can still hear Rachael in the dining room weeping as I leave the house.

I sprint down the sidewalk as fast as I can. A few blocks down, I start to feel exhausted, but I keep on running anyways. I make it all the way down to the park, eight blocks from my house. I'm practically inhaling the air. I sit on the swings still panting.

I don't care about anything anymore at this moment. Michael, Karen, my father, well I still care about my sister, but I'm just so enraged. I don't care if I take Michael's place in the excavation, he's an idiot anyways. Besides, I can do a far better job than him. There's nothing tying me to this place anymore and I'm going to do this. I'll leave tonight if I have to. I will have to come up with a plan and a list of things I'll need, but that's that, I'm going to do this thing no matter what the outcome...

* * *

I do not own Legacy of Kain or its Characters. I only own Michelle and the rest of the characters in this chapter.

I've changed a lot in the first chapter to make it flow well and hopefully making it more enjoyable to read.

Thanks for reading. Reviews are always welcome.


	2. Preparation

**Chapter 2**

**Preparation**

_Chapter updated: March 31, 2013._

* * *

A Heavy rain pours down, cloaking the pavement in a blanket of mist. The sound of the downpour hitting the pavement drowns out my senses as I near my grandfather's house. When I arrive, I'm freezing cold and soaking wet from head to toe. Water drips off my hair and hits my nose as I walk up the steps.

I knock on the door, but he doesn't answer right away. He never answers if you simply knock, so I reluctantly ring the doorbell. I can hear him making his way behind the door.

"Coming, coming..._Now who could that be at 8:00 at night."_ He opens the door, eyes wide open with concern. I really don't want to be here, since I just decided - moments ago that I'm going to use the time streaming device, and I plan to leave tonight. But, I have nowhere else to go. I have to stay the night somewhere.

"M-Michelle, what on earth happened?" He stammers over his words.

"Never mind that, come in quickly and get out of the rain." I can always count on my grandfather to welcome me with open arms no matter what trouble I'm in.

"I'll get you a towel, and how about a hot cup of coco." I walk in practically shaking with both arms wrapped around my body. He comes down the stairs with a towel and hands it to me with caring eyes, than proceeds into the kitchen. I could hear him scuffling around, then filling a pot with something, probably milk to warm it up on the stove top. He had always made hot chocolate that way. It just tastes that much better.

I make my way into the living room, with the towel draped around me and sit on the couch. I look around the room at the many pictures of our family. My eyes meet the photograph of my mother and father on their wedding day; they look so happy together. Where has the time gone…?

He walks into the room and hands me the hot chocolate, then sits on the chair across from me. We sit in silence for a few moments before he decides to question me, but he knows full well I have no intention of talking about it this evening.

"Why don't you start from the beginning, dear?"

"I don't really feel like talking about it, Grandpa."

He knows very well where this is going. This isn't the first time I've shown up at his doorstep uninvited, since my father's engagement to Karen. I know that I'm 24, and that I shouldn't even be living at home, but I can't leave without my sister. I'm merely staying for her sake. I'm hoping by 17 she won't need me anymore.

"Sigh. It's just..." I was starting to get choked up again. I can tell it was going to be a long night.

"She's changing him grandpa." He looks at me sorrowfully.

"She's changing his morals, his thoughts, that bitch is changing everything about him!" I think I surprised him with my last sentence. It's probably the first time he's heard me curse in front of him like that.

"He lets her talk him into doing and saying things he never does."

"Michelle…do you think you are the only one that was effected by your mother's death."

"…No." I sniff.

"I know he's hurt. I just don't understand why he feels the need to act like this towards me and my sister." I try to wipe the tears from my eyes

"He believes every lie she comes up with, it's like he's afraid to stand up to her...even for his own children." I stare off, detached.

"I've lost all my respect for him right now grandpa and I don't think there is anything you can say that will change my mind at this point..."

"And I'm not going to try." he adds sincerely.

"I believe that is up to your father and him alone." I don't think that's going to be happening any time soon. Karen has him wrapped around all ten of her fingers.

My grandfather gets up and brings our glasses into the kitchen. I follow him to see if there is anything I can help with. He looks at me like he wants to say something, but hesitates at first.

"…So, why did you leave in such a hurry the other day?"

"What? Leave in a hurry…? Oh at the center!" I had completely forgot about that.

"It was nothing, really…Why? What did Michael say?" I'm interested to hear what that moron dreamed up as an excuse.

"Nothing, he had no idea either." Oh really…

At about 8:30 he heats up some leftovers in the microwave, as he thought I was looking a little thin these days. I can't blame him; I have hardly eaten anything in the past few days because of all the excitement.

It was an hour later before we went to bed. I help my grandfather clean up the kitchen before he shows me to my temporary bedroom. He kisses me on the forehead before he goes to bed himself. I can't help but feel like a little kid again.

I curl up on my bed, starting to feel bad about my selfish decision, but I'm not going back on it either. No, I had made up my mind earlier and I'm sticking to it. I want to wipe that grin off Michael's face.

I'm not having any luck sleeping, so I make a list of things I need for the excavation. This is going to be hard to do without forgetting something, but this is my only chance I suppose.

List:

First Aid Kit

Camera (for sure)

Flashlight

Change of Clothes

A sleeping bag

Food (none perishables mostly)

Back Pack (that was self-explanatory)

Sketch book (that was a must, the landscapes in Nosgoth are just beautiful)

My journal (For notes)

"That's all I can think of for now." I think I should keep it simple anyways, plus I'll probably think of more while I pack.

I start to feel a bit tired, so I lay on the bed with the intention of sleeping. It will be an 8-hour plane ride to get there and it will be in a new time zone. I intend it to be nightfall when I arrive. I have to get up early in the morning if I want to escape any unwanted confrontations with my grandpa. The last thing I want is for him to question me.

I set the alarm clock on my watch. I don't know for sure if it will wake me, but I have to try. I stare at the ceiling, going over in my head the steps I need to take to get there. Before I know it I drift off to the sound of the rain hitting the roof of the house...

I wake up in a start. I look at the clock and it reads 2:02 am. I think this will be the perfect time to slip on over to my house and pack quickly while my father, sister, and Karen are fast asleep. I creep down the stairs, keeping an eye out for my grandfather, and the coast is clear.

When I make it outside, I run most of the way. I'm already running a little late. I want to make it to my place as fast as I can, so I can get to the airport on time. My flight leaves at 3:00 and it will take me 30 minutes to drive there. Time is ticking fast.

I reach my father's house in no time and all the lights are off except for the kitchen, which means I have to be extra quiet while opening the door. There are two possible reasons why the kitchen light is on, 1) somebody got thirsty in the middle of the night, 2) I had abandoned my sister last night and she was still up, waiting for me to come home, or 3) my dad was up late working at the kitchen table like he usually does and has fallen asleep there.

I slowly and quietly put my key into the doorknob and turned it ever so gently. When I put my hand on the doorknob I pull on it slightly, towards myself, so when I turn the knob it won't make any popping or clicking sounds that will draw attention in my direction. I creep down the hall that leads to the kitchen.

When I peek around the corner, I see my sister sitting at the table, sobbing. It damn near breaks my heart. When she looks my way a big smile extends across the length of her face. I had to put my finger up to my mouth to motion for her to be quiet. I walk into the kitchen and she runs up and gives me a big hug, and I did in return.

"Rachael what are you doing up so late." I whisper to her

"I thought you weren't coming back." she sobs

"Rachael you know I would never leave you and not come back for you." I sit her down at the kitchen table and get her something to eat. I know supper was never made last night. It is going to be difficult to explain to her what I'm planning to do, without her saying _'I want to come to!'_

"Rachael I need to talk to you about something." She looks at me with her bright eyes.

"Is it a secret?"

"Yes." I snicker. She reminds me what it was like to be a kid.

"What is it? Do you have a boyfriend?" She looks so excited.

"No Rachael, it's nothing like that." I laugh.

"Look…I need you to understand something. You know that excavation we all have been talking about, right?"

"You mean that one you really want to go on."

"Yes well, I'm leaving today...I'm going to do it instead of Michael" I thought I should be quick and to the point. She gets up in her chair.

"Can I go with you?!" I had to shush her; she is being way too loud.

"No Rach...no you can't…" I say somberly, trying to let her down easy, but it doesn't work. She looks down in Bitter disappointment

"Rachael, I'll be back before you could even blink, please don't cry." I try to calm her down. I know it is going to be hard for her to deal with Karen all by herself, but I have to do this. She needs to learn some independence anyways.

"But I don't want to be left alone with Karen, Michelle." She cries.

"Please don't leave me, please!" I put my hand over my face. She does this to me all the time. I quickly come up with a solution

"...Rachael, I need you to stay. Who am I going to count on to be my secret agent while I'm away?" I knew after I said the words, 'secret' and 'agent' together in the same sentence I would have her undivided attention.

"You know, while I'm on the plane. I need you to keep daddy and grandpa from getting suspicious."

"Do you think you can do that for me, Rach?"

"You bet!" I put my finger up to my mouth again, so she will be quieter before my dad comes down stairs.

"Good, I have to pack my things; I'll be up to tuck you into bed."

"Now remember in the morning, if anybody asks where I am, I need you to tell them that I'm spending the day with Sam, Alex, and Jen."

"Can you do that, Rachael?"

"You mean secret agent Rachael." She grins ear to ear.

She heads up the stairs and into her bed. I'm right behind her as she climbs into bed and I start to tuck her in goodnight. Before I leave I kiss her on the forehead. She gives me one last hug and we say our goodbyes. I close the door gently behind me and make my way down the hall, past my father's room to get to mine.

I quickly pack my things, as my plane will leave without me if I don't hurry. I think a part of me has been hesitating on purpose. It's been easy to not think about this to clearly with all the commotion going on, but it's starting to hit me now as I pack for my adventure. I'm planning on going where no one has gone before. To the past…

When I'm done packing, I slowly and carefully walk down the hall into my father's room. I know it is risky, but I have to see his face one last time before I go. He looks so peaceful in his sleep. I start feeling remorse for what I had said to him earlier and it gets me thinking about my mom. It has been so long since I last heard her voice, since she passed away. I can really use some advice right about now.

I remember just how devastated my father was after the incident. They were fighting that night, so my mom went for a drive to cool off. Then she came to the intersection, and it was typically a drunk driver that hit her that night. In his red, shiny new convertible. I'm telling you, it wasn't so shiny and new afterwards. When we were in the hospital that night, I had actually seen my father cry for the first time.

I have never seen him cry like that before, especially a man like my father. For that whole night, it all seemed like a horrible nightmare and seeing him crying made that moment so real to me. I was 16 at the time, Rachael was almost 2. Yes, she was definitely a surprise baby. I remember how shocked my father was when my mom came home with that news. Those were the good old days.

I reach behind my neck and undo one of the necklaces I'm wearing. It is the pendent my mother had given me just before she passed away. I place it on his bedside table, kissing him gently on the cheek. Then I leave the room quietly and silently go down the stairs. Every creek in the floor boards sets me on edge as I make my way to the garage.

When I enter the garage, I open the door manually, so it doesn't make any loud, abrupt noises. With that, I push the car down the driveway into the empty street, not an easy task to do by yourself. With the car sitting in the middle of the street, I throw my things in the back seat and get into the driver's seat. When I start the car it makes a loud rumbling noise and I am on my way to the Airport.

The roads are very quiet at this time of night and it gets me thinking about my mom again. It has been eight long years now, Since the incident. She was the best mom you could have ever had. She was smart, cunning, and gorgeous. She always spoke her mind, even when she probably shouldn't. But, she was a patient woman.

Calm natured, she never raised her voice at me, unless I did something unimaginable. She would simply sit me down and explain to me why it was wrong. She believed children to be much smarted then people gave them credit for.

I wonder what she would think of me sneaking off to Nosgoth and stealing Michael's place in the excavation. Ha! I can almost hear her cheering me on. This makes me laugh to myself. After all, if she was here right now she would be fighting tooth and nail alongside me; Trying to convince the research team that I would be the best one for the job.

My mom had always respected my decisions and believed that you can always make your dreams come true if you fight hard enough for them. I try to live by this...

"...I miss you mom."

I finally arrive at the Airport, so I take a deep breath, get out of the car with my things, and make my way inside. "_This place is unusually quiet, it's making me nervous."_ I walk to the line at the counter. It doesn't take long before it's my turn to show all my credentials to the lady behind the counter.

I have to wait another hour before my plane arrives, since it was delayed, go figure. When it finally arrives, I can barely contain myself. I just want to get on the damn thing and be on my way already. The guy in front of me is being unimaginably slow and I contemplate beating him down with my luggage.

Everybody loads themselves onto the plane and takes their seats. I'm starting to feel a little sick and nervous, not so much about the plane; I just can't believe I'm actually doing this. I wish I could see the expression on Michael's face when he realizes I went instead. Feeling exhausted, I close my eyes and thanks to the antihistamines I remembered, I soon drift off to sleep…

_I'm running as fast as my lags can carry me. In the most beautiful forest I have ever seen. But the funny thing is, I can't tell exactly why I'm running, or even what I'm running from. All I know is how good it feels to be free. This is the fastest I have ever run before. All of a sudden this strange sensation creeps over me and I know what it is I'm running from. What is going on here? I feel like something is chasing me through these vacant woods. I stop when I come to a cliff with no apparent bottom. I turn around to see what's chancing me, and I see a strange, mysterious blue figure standing before me. I can't see any defined features on the being at all...Just a shape of a person. Then, all of a sudden it goes horribly dark all around me and the ground beneath me crumbles. I'm falling and that mysterious blue figure begins to fade…_

_"Ms…. MS!"_

"Excuse me, Ms!" I wake up and damn near jump out of my skin. I begin to panic, as I completely forgot where I am or where I'm going for that matter. The lady that shook me now has to calm me down until I begin to remember where I am. We both start to laugh and she explains to me how I was tossing, turning, and screaming. I feel like an idiot, but that was some dream though.

We talk on the plane for 30 minutes, discussing how that happened to her before on a train ride to Northern Vancouver to see her grandmother; and here we are, comparing our grandparents and laughing that they could be the perfect couple. I find it strange how a conversation can change drastically in only a couple of minutes.

Before I know it, I can feel the plane landing. It bumps and rattles on its way to ground level. I still can't believe I'm going through with this. All these things start rushing through my head as I start to think about it. I try to shake it out in an attempt to get a grip of myself.

It's nightfall when I finally exit the airport, which will make it much easier for me to sneak into the ancient time machine. It has at least a football field occupied with tents. With most of everybody sleeping it shouldn't be too hard. I quickly leave the airport and not without saying good bye to that delightful lady I met on the plane.

I completely forgot I have no car to get myself there. Good thing I have good connections. The airport resides in Meridian, Nosgoth's capital and the Time Streaming Device is North West of the city. I know a guy here that will be more than willing to assist me, at least.

Alaric Bornhold, One of my first, real romances in my life. He was a pilot of a small bush plain, who's indebted to me for a favour I did for him years ago. He wasn't exactly on good terms with the government when we were first seeing one another, and since I have a few connections I pulled a few strings and got him the pardon he's waited years for. We didn't exactly end our relationship on good terms though, but he owes me, and he better not try to wiggle his way out of this one.

...ring...ring...ring...ring "God damn it, Alaric, answer the phone..."

...ring...ring...ring...ring "this is my last quarter..."

...ring...ring... "If he doesn't answer so help me g -"

"...sigh...hello." a weak rumbly voice answers.

"Alaric?"

"Yes, who is this? And you better have a damn good reason for calling at 12:00 in the morning."

"Alaric!? It's me, me Michelle!" I was ecstatic.

"M-Michelle?...Michelle!"

"Alaric, I don't have much time, and I could really use a favour. I know we haven't spoken in ages but...I really need your help."

"Hold on, are you all right there? I mean is everything okay?"

"Look Alaric, I know you must have a lot of questions right now, but I need you to skip all the small talk and get down to central Meridian as soon as possible. Can you do this for me?"

"..Sigh…I don't know?"

"Alaric, Please! I really need this favour and you owe me!"

"…fine, I mean sure. I'll be there in 20." Click. That went a lot smoother than I was expecting, and in twenty-five minutes or so Alaric, in all his glory, arrives.

"Hey!" A voice shouts behind me. A tall man with blond sandy hair stands under the lamp post at Meridian's town squire. Alaric would be about thirty now, if I'm not mistaken. He looks good, much more filled out than when I was seeing him. He's wearing a leather jacket, with a white dress shirt underneath, slightly unbuttoned, and an old pair of jeans. In fact I recognize those jeans. They were his "lucky pair". He called them that on the account that he met me a day after he bought them. He was such a dork, but a wonderful one.

"...so I guess you would have questions, huh."

"You think?" he stares unblinking, eyes squinting.

"Could we talk on the way?" I say as I walk past him.

"Ha, you have some nerve, you know." He smirks.

I turn to face him, and toss him a crooked smile. He smiles back and we walk to his car together. He unlocks the door, with his eyes never leaving mine. When we get in the car, he locks the doors and looks at me.

"I know what you're up to, Michelle, so I'm kidnapping you..." he says with a serious face. He puts the key in the transition and drives off with me.

We sit in silence for a few minutes, as I stare at him in complete astonishment

"...Fuck off!" I snicker. He shots me a glance, and smiles.

"So...you going to tell me where we're going?" I sigh and begin to tell him the whole spiel.

"...so let me get the straight..."

"..."

"..."

"...Yeah?" I nudge him to continue.

"You want me to help you...break the law."

"...Look Alaric; you don't have to do this if you don't want...You know what, I can find another way there." I say motioning him to pull over. I feel really uncomfortable all of a sudden. I hate feeling vulnerable.

"No! No...Cool." he looks at me slightly concerned.

"Besides, this is what I do best after all. I wasn't good at anything else...not even being a boyfriend." My heart sinks in my chest.

"Alaric, it wasn't your fault, it takes two." I say reassuringly.

"No, no. It was me, I know that now. That's why we didn't work out."

"I want you to know that there's no hard feeling between us anymore."

"...and this isn't me trying to rekindle anything, I just came to terms with this, this year."

"Me too...I mean, that there's no hard feeling for me either, I mean between us, there's no hard feeling between us for me...Too." Ha! Oh god.

"Ha ha, you always had a way with words, babe!" Erg, I hate when he calls me that. Babe! And the thing is, he doesn't mean babe the way most people mean it. He would always say "_no, no, __Babe__, like the pig."_

__"Unfortunately, I won't be able to drive you there with this car. It's almost run its course." He pats the dash board.

"So how will we get there?"

"Oh, I have a plan." He grins.

After forty minutes of driving we get to Alaric's Grandfathers ranch. He stores his old plane here for safe keeping.

"Won't we wake your grandfather?" I ask hesitantly.

"What that old guy...naww!" he assures me.

"That guy couldn't hear a car crash through his bedroom walls. He sleeps like a rock!" We walk into the old barn. His plane is covered with an old dusty sheet. I assist him to pull it off and a cloud of dust encases us, causing us to cough hysterically.

"Well! This is it. Old Betsy!"

"God you are such a dork! You named your plane Betsy, haha."

"Hey!...that's Old Betsy." He winks. I roll my eyes.

We have to get it up and running, which will take a little work. While he tunes the plane, and gets it air worthy, I'm stumbling around the barn looking for his old fuel tank, for the plane. Until I smash my knee into it.

"Ah! Is this it!" I yell holding my knee in agony. He looks over in my direction.

"...uhhh, yup! That looks like it!"

After another thirty minutes, we got the plane working. We hoot and holler in celebration, giving each other high fives. And then Alaric picks me up and plants one on my lips...It's strange, I thought I would be angry and even though I'm telling myself to pull away, I push into the kiss, closing all possible gaps between us. He seems surprised by my reaction too, and we break the kiss.

"...sooo." he says slowly and awkwardly.

"...yeah."

"...you know? I think we needed to get that off our chests."

"...Yeah me too, otherwise that tension would have always been there." Somehow I have a hard time believing that. I don't exactly have feelings for him anymore, but I can tell there's some lingering in him. We smile at each other and share another few laughs.

"So, this is it, no turning back after this. You sure you want to do this?"

"..."

"...Yes." I nod enthusiastically.

"K, that's all I need to hear." And with that we left for the excavation site.

The plane ride was only an hour, but it seemed like four. We didn't have any other conversations on the way and when we landed we merely shared a smile. Not a fake smile, a real one; probably the first real one we shared all night.

The plane takes off once again, and as quickly as Alaric came back into my life, he is gone just as fast. I watch the plane until it's no longer in view, then I start to walk to the gates. Damn it I forgot about the gates! I'm going to have to get past these two guards; I walk awkwardly towards them as I muster up what I'm going to say to the two of them.

I approach as casually as I possibly can. Judging by the expressions on their faces I knew this was going to be strenuous.

"Ms, can we help you?" They were looking me up and down with the most annoying grins on their faces.

"Why yes, you can," I ginned back at them.

"My name is Ms. M. Rose, I'm the Co. President for the Hilltop research center that studies Nosgoth's history," I say as I flash my Hilltop Inc. passport at them, not leaving it up long enough for them make anything of it.

I'm not actually the co-president. That honour is my fathers, but what I have is his exact initials 'M. Rose' they have no way of knowing the gender of the co-president since they never met my father. At least I was hoping.

"I'm here to help set up for Michael's excavation, at 7:30am today." They look at me suspiciously for a few moments. They start whispering to one another and the other walks away talking on his walky talky. My heart starts to race in my chest. They must know, that's why he's walking away, he's notifying the officials! And just before I panic and run for the hills.

"...krrrrsss. Yup, shes clear. Over... krrrrsssss. Click."

"Oh! Yes of course, welcome M. Rose. We are sorry for the inconvenience."

"Oh, no problem. You were just doing your job, right?" I reassure them. I'm quite pleased with myself, I really wasn't confident I could pull that off.

I make my way swiftly through the hordes of tents set up all around me. Until I meet the face of the cave that holds the time streaming device, in which I halt. I can feel my courage slowly draining. I'm actually thinking of turning back? But I can't. I made it this far and there was no turning back at this point in the game, especially after all the work I and Alaric did just to get me here.

Standing here, I stare into the mouth of the cave. It's extremely dark down there. We didn't set up to many lanterns, being careful to not disturb the local wildlife that sought refuge here. I think I better not delay any longer, before my second thoughts cloud my judgment. With that, I slowly make my way into the cave. I have to be careful not to trip on any debris or stalactites on my way there.

Fifteen to twenty minutes pass, until I finally reach the doors to the machine. It's been crumbling in a slow decay. I can hardly make out the symbols on the front of it, as the paint has eroded off eons ago. Large and small cracks run up the doors, making it look like a crackle glazed pot. Almost makes me wonder how it could possibly be working.

When I approach, the doors struggle to open. It still baffles me how people from the Gothic days of Nosgoth could have built a machine of this caliber. I walk inside and the doors shut tight behind me. The room is round in shape, with an outer ridge of stone and the center made of glass, surrounding a lever of some kind. The glass is fogged over severely, with cracks in it; well this whole room has cracks in it.

I walk to the 4 dials on the far wall, which confront the main entrance, and start to punch in the appropriate settings my grandfather and I calibrated. I turn around and walk to the other object in the center of the room. It looks sort of like a steering wheel mounted on a post, with an orb of some kind in the center.

I stand here for a little while, letting the fact that this is real sink into my thick skull. There is no turning back after I turn this leaver. I will be in a different time completely. My family and friends will have never existed. I stand here contemplating the significance of this moment….then pull the leaver…

* * *

Thanks for reading.

I do not own legacy of kain or it's characters.


	3. Raziel

**Chapter 3**

**Raziel**

_Updated April 8, 2013_

* * *

When I pull the leaver, this strange sensation surrounds me and it feels as though the ground beneath me is vanishing. The sensation is like a Roller Coaster ride or like an elevator descending. making me feel dizzy and lost in the vortex.

Soon the ground beneath me is piecing back together and my feet plant firmly on the ground. As soon as the strange sensation abandons me, gravity kicks in. It feels as though a thousand pounds is weighing me down and my knees come crashing down onto the hard glass.

"Arrrrrgggg! Son of a!"

Rolling on the ground in agony until the pain subsides, I soon realise my surrounds are very different. This Machine appears to actually work. The room is no longer falling apart at the seams. It looks brand new…well almost. It is mainly a golden brown color with painted designs and inscriptions lining the walls. The glass panel beneath me is slightly fogged and no longer has cracks. It seems to be a large clock.

I sit on the floor for several minutes feeling sick from my passage through time. I should leave the time streaming chamber and get some fresh air. I grab my bag and walk through the doors which slide open effortlessly. I suspect I'm in the 12th century. That's what my grandfather and I dated the device too and what I set the machine for.

I leave that stuffy coffin of a room. The cave I came in from has changed as well. In the ceiling of the cave is a gaping hole. I can see the sky and a tree blowing in the wind. This is obviously my best means of escape.

I kneel down, careful not to go to fast, my knees still hurt from before. I pull out some rope from my bag I had grabbed earlier in my garage. I figured it would come in handy on my journey, and I was right. After tying a lasso on the end of the rope, I prepare to toss it up. I have terrible aim, but I have to get out of here somehow.

I have no idea whether this cave is the same as in my time, and I don't want to take the chance of getting lost. It is pure luck that this hole is here in the first place, I should take advantage of this...

_(Raziel)_

I have just escaped my captor and displeasing him is gratifying, no matter how small the victory. My next measure is to find a conduit from the spectral realm to the material world, but I doubt my so called master will to be so forgiving.

I twist and turn along the hallways of the vacant crypt. I soon come into a large circular rotunda, walls decorated in relief designs. Flora crawls out of the cracks and holes in the walls and floors. Evidence that this place has been abandoned for many years.

There in the center of the pavilion is the root of my escape. This conduit into the material world will take me one step further from my torment, but as I approach the orifice vanishes before my eyes. And then, I hear it, laughing in retribution.

"Did you think for a moment that you would receive the same favors as before, even after your rebellion?"

"I have no need for you to enter the physical world, Raziel. You can serve me more adequately as a wraith, and so a wraith you will remain, until you surrender to my whim."

_"So, as I thought, my restraints are only loosened and not fully removed, but I am willing to throw myself into oblivion to find another means to exit this hell."_

I leave the crypt more determined than before. I shift through the bared widows on either side of the door. As I walk into a courtyard with broken pillars lining the walkway, two monstrous wraiths confront me. I am granted a vision of what I will become if I remain in this realm for too long.

At this moment, my master's plans for me became ominously clear. I exist only to fuel him and his wheel of fate. Forever trapped here slowly losing my freewill and self-awareness, and forever doomed to roam this wasteland with a relentless hunger.

The two wraths turn their hungry eyes towards me, I out did my welcome. They lunge towards me with a ravenous haste, trying to inhale the very life from my body. As I dodge their feverish attacks, I can't help but pity these lost souls. I dispose of them quickly, feeling as though I did them a favour. I set out across the cemetery.

When I leave the courtyard, I come across a pathway that appears to circle around the whole cemetery. A medium sized building in ruins sits in the center of the graveyard. I take the left pathway lined with tome stones and tall ominous trees striped of their leaves. Unsure of whether it is due to the season or the cloak of death that plagues this place.

Traveling along the path I reach a small gateway. There are two rectangular towers, with beveled aches on each facing. They flank the two sides of the gate that blocks my path out of the cemetery, just north of the building I just came from. This exit appears to lead to the pillars beyond, as I can see the misty tops of the pillar in the distance. In order to depart this place I have to find another means to exit the underworld.

I explore my surroundings, traveling back along the pathway and to the opposite side of the gate until I come across another building that looks similar in construction to the first. There had to be away inside. Just as I thought this building has two bared windows on either side of the vaulted doorway. I leap up onto the small ledge, morphing through the bars and onto the other side.

It appears to be another crypt much like the first. I jump down to the floor below and in the center of this rotunda are two caskets. One of them broken and falling apart. A hole in the roof permits light to shine through, allowing a small eco system to form around the decomposition.

Ethereal gases raise from the moldering corpse within. As I approach the two caskets, I feel a certain spiritual pull. The closer I get the more the pull intensifies. I step closer and closer and I realise what I must do to leave this place.

In the end it is not hard for me to project myself into the resonating corps within. I can feel the room morph and bend around me as I lift from the spectral realm to the material world. I emerge from the grave cloaked in a loathsome, grotesque vessel. I tear it off my body with no regret.

When I arrive into the material world things are not as well as they seem. The coffins lining the walls rumble and burst open. A large group of demons surround me and I ready myself for a fight.

"Raziel!"

"Raazziel."

_"Renegade!"_

"Poor Raziel, the fallen hero!" my name spits out of their mouths like venom.

"Whats going on here? How do you know me?!"

"Yes, why should anyone know your name?"

"You are nothing."

_"Traitor!"_

The creatures descend on me, surrounding me in a complete circle. I stand ready. One lunges out of the circle towards me and the rest follow. Back flipping out of the circle I land behind them, just in time to see a few collide with one another. I summon the soul reaver. These fools don't stand a chance.

Charging in, I jump into the air, and swing the reaver down on top of them. The shear force hitting the ground sends them back into the walls. The few that took the full force lay lifeless on the ground. Facing the remaining demons, I devour the souls from their lifeless husks, laying at my feet. The once vengeful creatures now seem hesitant to continue, but ready themselves regardless. They rush forward and I charge in to meet them.

I defeat the remain creatures with easy, and now I race across the cemetery wondering where they had come from and why? They had spoken of my name as if it were poison on their tongues. Not only that, but there appearance bared a striking resemblance to my own. It is not long before I set out towards the pillars in an attempt to seek out my destiny.

I had overheard some diluted vampire hunters earlier, speaking of a spirit who haunts the pillars. I have to assume it is Ariel they spoke of, the murdered balance guardian. If that is the case, I have lost 500 years and had been held captive for centuries. Perhaps she will be able to answer some questions and reveal to me Vorador's where abouts. There are a few questions I am hoping he can answer. I have to hurry if I want to get there before Moebius's cutthroats do.

_(Michelle)_

With the lasso in one hand, I pitch it up into the air at a large tree branch hanging over the hole. To my surprise a gust of wind blows the lasso onto the tree branch.

"Hahaha! Alright! What dumb luck!" I scream out in excitement and disbelief. My voice echoing through the darkness of the cavern.

"As if I got it around the tree branch on my first try, I wish I had the camera rolling to record this beautiful moment."

All of a sudden I hear a strange sound coming for the depths of the cave. I stare into the darkness, squinting in an attempt to see something, anything. The sound gets louder. It sounds like a flock of birds?

"Oh no…"

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no,"

I scramble around the cave looking for a rock or hiding place, franticly trying to get away from what quickly approaches. I dive behind a large stone as a horde of bats burst into the corridor I'm in and hover above me. They fly out of the hole I'm desperate to get out of, effortlessly.

"..I would kill to be able to fly out of this hole."

This is going to be the hard part. I have to climb the damn rope to get out. If I had received some basic, physical training beforehand I wouldn't be in this predicament. No matter, I decide I should tie knots on the rope to make my climb easier. I only wish I thought of this earlier, before I threw the damn thing up there, but I have to work with what I have.

Pulling the rope down takes a few tugs. Some leaves, and a small branch comes with it. I tie ten knots, two feet apart. With my best throwing arm I toss the rope back up at the tree branch. This time I'm not so lucky and have to chuck it up several times before I get it on again. I gave the rope three powerful tugs to make sure it was strong enough to hold my wait.

The knots made it much easier to climb, but it still takes some effort. Leaves rain down on me as I climb, the branch flexing slightly from my weight. The flapping of wings can be heard again and the horde of bats from earlier come flying back in. Probably hoping I had departed.

I can feel the air from their wings as they flap around my head. I hang on tight, cringing in displeasure. They fly back down the dark passage, leaving me in peace. I make it to the opening and hastily heave my whole 125 pound body onto the ledge. The cool breeze feels fantastic as it blows my hair all over my face. I inhale a few hairs that blow to close to my mouth, causes me to choke and cough frantically.

Re-adjusting myself I take some time to admire the view. It is just amazing and it appears to be on the plains of Nosgoth. The view of the mountains are incredible from this standpoint. They guard the horizon like a castle wall, stretching out as far as the eye can see. I can see the pillars in the distant, rising majestically behind the snowy peaks. It's amazing how tall they stand. No human could have possibly built them.

That will be the best direction to start my journey. I want to take a few pictures along the way, so I grab my Canon form my bag. Taking pictures of the plains, with the mountains and the pillars in the background I travel through the tall wispy grass. It is gorgeous the way the sun hits the side of the mountains giving them a golden appearance.

As I travel across the grasslands I stumble upon a path that leads to the pillars. I'm surprised at how different Nosgoth looks in this time, compared to my own. I know Nosgoth like the back of my hand, but it's like being in a whole new place. I will have a hard time finding my way around on my own, good thing I brought a map.

It wasn't long until nightfall swept across the land. I made my way along the path and came across a band of people. They appear to be worriers of some kind, which have a strange insignia on their forehead. It looks like a vertical infinity sign. They are wearing light weight brown leather armor, with green or red tunics underneath. Perhaps they will be able to give me some directions.

"Alo, what's this?" One of the worriers turns to face me, showing his uneven teeth in a wolfish grin.

"What on earth is she wearing, that's very peculiar." The group looks at me like I'm some kind of extraterrestrial. It is getting very irritating.

"Excuse me, but if you are done, I would like some directions."

"What are you, from some kind of circus?" I look at him and smirk.

"No, but you could be."

"Why you little!" He unsheathes his weapon and starts walking after me in an angry manner, but one of the female hunters stops him.

She looks at me sympathetically "now, what did you need?"

"Directions, to a nearby village," she ponders awhile.

"Sigh…" One of the worriers moans in frustration.

"Well...first off, where are you headed?!" Says one of the male hunters. He appears to be leading the group.

"I was heading for the pillars."

"Well you might try heading for Ziegsturhl."

"Yeah, that would be your best bet."

"If you head north east from here you should get there in only 10 hours." Only a ten-hour walk!

I thank them and head on my way. I remember the map of Nosgoth I brought with me. I pull it out since I now know my position. I figure that if it's a 10-hour walk to Ziegsturhl, it will be a day or two until I arrive at the pillars. I have a long adventure ahead of me.

After traveling for 5 hours, my legs start to feel like jello. I'm exhausted, but I'm not sure if I should stop in the middle of nowhere. A series of dangers could be surrounding me, and I would be none the wiser.

The murals depicted on walls in many tombs and chambers in my time, told stories of vampires and demons. Of course I have no idea if these prophesies are fact of fiction, but I have to assume the worst. I have to be prepared since the whole reason I am hear is to find out if these legends are indeed true.

I travel farther until I find a safe spot to rest my head for the long journey to come. It isn't long before I come across a small nook of trees. They appear safe enough, so I set up camp for the night. Gathering sticks and twigs for a fire, I manage to come back to my camp with a million scratches on me. I don't really want to attract unwanted attention with this fire, but my need for a sense of security is greater. I want to be safe, just in case some scavenging wolfs come in the middle of the night. I guess there are worse things out there, but the thought of sleeping alone in the dark terrifies me. I mean, I pretty much scream come and get me. I'm an easy target.

I lay down to rest in my sleeping bag, under my military style poncho that I slung up in the trees earlier in case it rains. Laying on the cold hard ground, I start to think of home. No one will have realized I'm gone. Because the truth is, that hasn't even happened yet. I went through time, so it is almost as though time back home stands still for me. This is kind of a relief, after all I have no idea how long it will take me to find evidence and artifacts for us to study back home.

As I begin to wonder where those worriers were heading and if they got to where they were going, my eyes start to get heavier and heavier, and soon I was out like a light.

_(Raziel)_

As I run along the twisting path that leads to the pillars, I come across a mob of vampire hunters. These were indeed Moebius's cutthroats, for they bare the same insignia as him. A band of mercenaries, hired into his gruesome crusade to exterminate all vampires.

I dodge swiftly behind a nearby rock to listen in on their conversation. They are speaking of a strange woman they had left along the path earlier. She has no weapons and is traveling alone. They say she is wearing strange cloths and brandishes a peculiar accent that is not from around here. I am curious to whom they are referring to, but I am spotted by one of the female worriers.

The fight does not last long and I rip the life from their bodies. Humans are such fragile beings. There were only 5 them, and their bodies lay lifelessly on the ground. I devour their souls and continue along the path. Who was this mysterious women, could she be linked to all this. One thing is certain, her presence here is exceedingly suspicious.

I hope I am not too late and Vorador it still alive. For all I know those vampire hunters could have been returning from the kill. I hope this is not the case, I have yet to peruse a few questions from him. Like why a weapon would be forged to imprison their savior; him being the author of my fate, perhaps he could rewrite it?

I quicken my pace. If those worriers had not murdered Vorador, I need to get there immediately. Perhaps I will come across that strange woman the vampire hunters where referring to. They said she is heading for the pillars. I am curious to her reasons for being here. Most humans would steer clear of Nosgoth because of its reputation of vampires and demons. There appears to be something all too strange about her arrival in this place. What would she be doing in a place like this, with no weapons or companion? I had not yet discovered.

_(Michelle)_

_When I opened my eyes I am in the same forest again. I'm sure it is the exact same forest I was in when I fell asleep on the plane? What does this all mean? And then…there not too far from where I am standing is that same blue figure. But this time…they are standing near the cliff and I am standing where they were in my previous dream, with the forest to my back. As before everything went black and I could see them falling. This senses of loss and betrayal washes over me. It is so over whelming and I soon feel like I am slowly drifting away into the nothingness that surrounds me…._

I open my eyes and sit up gasping. It is broad daylight out. What time is it? I get up in a hurry. I didn't expect myself to sleep for such a long period of time. I quickly pack my things and grab bunches of dirt to put what was left of the fire out. The last thing I want to happen is the future to be drastically change because of my carelessness, causing a mass of forest to burn to the ground.

I set out towards the same path that leads to the pillars. It's a beautiful morning and the sun is at a forty five degree angle to the east. Along the way I spot some deer, a male and a female. It makes me feel lonely. It would have been better to have company along the way. After all we are social creatures. I stop to take a few pictures of the deer and the landscape. A stream runs parallel to the path I am on and the deer leap across it in a few bounds.

Several hours pass, I'm not sure how many. I trying to keep my pace fixed. The sun no longer resides to the east, as it pours down on me at a ninety-degree angle now. Not a cloud can be seen in the sky today. As I continue to walk along the path, I take pictures of various plants I have never seen in this region before, in my timeline. Two butterflies do the tango in the sky above my head for a few minutes, till I reach a forest. There was something familiar about it, as if I had already been here.

I slowly approach the tall trees that tower above me. It's a magnificent forest. I walk along the rugged path. The sun shines through the canopy above, lighting up the tree trunks. It's relaxing and peaceful in the forest, and I feel the urge to draw. I need a small break anyways, my feet are sore and my back hurts from lugging around this backpack.

Looking for a good place to rest my feet, I stumble across a large trucked tree. It was quite huge, being at least two metres across. I kneel town beside the tree and pull out my sketchbook from my pack. Sitting at the base of the tree I start my drawing off by shading over the entire paper with graphite. Using my eraser, I block out tree shapes for the back ground. Drawing rough details on the trees. I smudge them to be less in focus. Once that is finished I start the middle ground, adding bits of shrubbery. After 30 minutes or so, I finally start to foreground. My favourite part.

Two hours passes and I'm so immersed in my drawing I don't notice until I look at my watch. It is a quarter to four, I have wasted so much time. I probably would have reached the pillars by now. Feeling reluctant to move on, I take some time to rest my eyes.

_(Raziel)_

On my travels I noticed smoke rising from a small collection of trees. When I reach it, I realize I had stumbled across a campsite. I can tell it has not been abandoned for very long. Whoever it was could not have been far ahead. It is most likely that women the hunters were speaking of. In that case, if I keep up my pace I should run into her along the way.

Setting back out along the road, I keep my eyes open for anymore disturbances. The sun is in the center of the sky now and I should be more concerned about reach Vorador on time. Yet, for some reason my curiosity keeps getting the better of me.

I came to a large forest with towering trees and thick roots. I know the pillars are just beyond this forest and the mountains ahead. It is well shaded amongst the trees canopy, a relief the suns rays. I may not be effected by the sun anymore, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. Traveling through the woods I slow down, trying not to miss anything. A person could easily be overlooked in such a large and busy place.

I reach a small clearing in the thicket. In the center prospers a very large oak tree. I can not help but feel I am not alone in this clearing. I kept my eyes open, stalking quietly through the grass. I cannot hear anybody nearby. Slowly I approached the tree towering above me, as I was doing so, something falls out from side of the tree. There appears to be no one hiding amongst the treetops. So I bend down to examine the object farther….

_(Michelle)_

_And so we come full circle…The moment in which my life will change forever…_

_I was simply leaning over to pick up my eraser, when I came face to face with an other worldly creature, that mere moments ago I questioned the existence of. And here we are, facing each other in uncertainty. _

His alluring eyes burn into my soul as I stand to face him. I have to work hard to stop my body from pumping shots of adrenalin to my heart. Excitement and fear mixing together to create an interesting cocktail of emotions. We examine one another, each awaiting for a response from the other. Until I break the silence…

"What do you want?" He stands there staring, probably unsure of what to make of me.

"...You don't seem afraid?" I stare, mesmerized.

"Are you blind, or are you completely unaware of what I am?"

I am especially surprised at the sound of his voice. He doesn't at all sound demonic or throaty like I was expecting. Instead he has an attractive, intelligent, smooth voice; calm yet assertive. I try not to laugh at this, since I don't want to make him irritated.

I remain calm, but I should be terrified. Instead I don't feel threatened by his presence here and in a strange way, I don't find him at all repulsive given his appearance. In fact I find him kind of attractive…He has a certain rugged charm. It's probably his mysteriousness that charms me.

"I know exactly what you are, and I figure if you were going to kill me you would have done so already."

"Is that so? You figure? You don't know me very well than" He uses his claws to pin me to the tree by my neck.

"Why are you here? What is your purpose?" I smirk to myself, I could have some fun with this,

"okay, I'll tell you just let me go." I whimper. He slowly loosens his grip on me.

"Very well human, have your way...but, I expect answers."

"…"

"Talk!" he raises his claws at me.

"Okay, okay!" I take a deep breath.

"…I'm an alien from another planet sent here to spy on the inhabitants in an attempt to eradicate all life on earth...pew, there's a load off my chest." His eyes turn to slits and I no longer feel comfortable.

"You dare insult my intelligence. I can tear you limb for limb." He steps closer pinning my back against the tree.

I know I shouldn't talk to him like this, but I figure if I remain confident and calm, the less likely he's going to kill me. Plus if I withhold the information he desires he will have a reason to keep me alive. Besides I might as well have fun with this, especially if this is my last moment.

"Now, who are you and what are you doing here?!" I gather up my confidence.

"That's none of your business." I say as I try to brush past him.

"You're a half-witted, delusional female." He grabs me by the shoulder and shoves me back up against the tree. He isn't genital about it either. My back hits the tree knocking the wind out of me.

"That will be the end of your silly little games form hear on. You are blatantly not from around here, so tell me!"

"What does it matter to you anyways? Don't you have better things to do then harass me!" I try to force his hand off my shoulder with no prevail.

"What do you know of my business?" he looks at me suspiciously.

His patients runs out and he grabs a lock of my hair, forcing my head backward. So I grab his hair too and yank on it. It is rather childish, but I'm not about to give up this fight. The look on his face makes me laugh hysterically. This is such a bazar moment. What am I doing? I was wondering whether demons even existed and here I am pulling on one's hair.

_(Raziel)_

What on earth is wrong with this woman? Has she gone mad? I thought for sure the more pressed the more uncomfortable she would become, yet she still remains remarkably unaffected. For some strange reason I am intrigued by her and her willingness to stand up to me. I had not thought such things was possible. Most humans would flee at the first sight of me. What game is she playing? I push and she shoves back. What's worse is she appears to be getting more and more amused. Does she truly know the extent of my power? She appears to be human?

The vampire hunters I met earlier seem to be right. She did appear to be wearing strange clothing. She wears strange blue pants that fit tightly around her legs and are made of a fabric I have not seen before. This attire is not at all casual for a woman in Nosgoth to be wearing. Her top appears to be sleeveless, revealing her small curved figure. She is quite striking in appearance too. With long, brown, wavy hair and incredible green eyes, like emeralds. They were almost hypnotic. She seems to remain unaffected as I scope her out and for some reason I have no desire to exterminate her. While it would be satisfying to rip that smirk off of her face. Have I gone soft? Or does some force stay my hand…

_(Michelle)_

He's just standing there looking me up and down, like he doesn't know what to do? I take a step toward him "So, what you're checking me out now," I throw him a cheeky grin.

Looking at me with surprise and infuriation, "Don't flatter yourself." I take a few more steps and he takes a step back; I appear to have some control now.

"Oh, now who's afraid of who?" I say playfully. "So...are you going to tell me your name or what?"

"I have no desire to tell you anything, especially if you refuse to answer any of mine." Glaring into my eyes, he turns and walks away.

"How about I make you a deal." He turns slightly and stops in his tracks.

"I'll tell you what I'm doing here, and you tell me your name." He turns around to face me. I appear to have his attention now.

"…" He appears to be pondering, looking at me doubtfully.

"Start explaining."

"So…we have a deal."

He frowns at me. "Yes."

I start telling him everything that is relevant to me being here. Like how I came from the future; I thought he could handle this idea. I explain that I came here to study Nosgoth's history, leaving out the specific details. Like what I'm hoping to discover. I thought he might take offense to the fact I'm studying vampires and demons, and their role in Nosgoth's history.

He raises an eye brow "You better not be toying with me this time."

"No, I swear on my soul." He appears to find my comment amusing for some reason?

"Well that was a waste of my time." My blood boils, but I decide to let that slide. He starts to walk away.

"Wait!" I scream at him.

"You didn't tell me your name." I think he thought it is peculiar that I care so much. He turns around to face me one last time.

"...Raziel."

* * *

Thanks for reading.

I do not own Raziel or any other Legacy of Kain Characters. I only own Michelle. I used some dialogue for the actual game where it was relevant.


	4. Misconception

**Chapter 4**

**Misconception**

_Chapter Updated: April 15th, 2013_

* * *

The sun is low and the leaves glow a deep orange. I had almost finished my drawing I started earlier, before I ran into that demon. He had departed for some time now and his name is still stuck in my head. I can't stop thinking about our strange encounter. He told me his name was Raziel. An interesting name for a demon. It is quite angelic, which I find most ironic.

After our encounter, I started a new drawing, tying to master the range of expressions on his face. His eyes were so intense and focused. They still burn deep within my mind and I can't stop thinking about his attractive, fluent accent That still rings in my ears.

"What is wrong with me? He's a demon. Our meeting was a one-time deal." I close my book and place it back in my bag.

"The fact that I'm still alive is a miracle..."

I try to shake him out of my head. I think the best cure for me is too overt my focus back on my assignment. I came here for a specific reason; to figure out Nosgoth's secrets. And, I just found a piece of the puzzle. Vampires and Demons must have existed in this time. I had no visual evidence of vampires yet, but I now know demons existed, so it's not entirely impossible that vampires do as well. I still have no physical evidence of my encounter, but I am going to, and Raziel is going to be it. I wonder where he is heading in such a hurry. I need to catch up with him if I want to get the proof I need.

I gather my things. I don't plan on going to Ziegsturhl anymore. I need to hurry in the direction Raziel was heading. I take out my map and compass to get my bearings. Pointing the compass in the direction he had traveled. I realize he was heading the same way I was, Northeast. That's approximately the direction of the pillars. I hope he's heading there as well, so we may cross paths again. We have too, he is the only evidence I have so far.

As I walk, I wonder if he's thinking about me, and what he thought about me for that matter. I mean, I pulled his hair. He must think I'm a lunatic. I hope I can get a picture of him if I see him at the pillars. I will have to be careful though. I doubt I can sneak past his acute senses, but I have to try. This could be my only chance to get evidence.

It's hard to walk through the woods. The trees have thick roots that stick out of the ground in all directions, causing me too trip on occasion. Not to mention the tall grass and bushes. Bugs fly by my face making me swat one on occasion. I find the wasps particularly unsettling. Those nosy bastards will crawl into all kinds of places. I don't really fancy the idea of being stung.

I reach the pathway I was traveling on before my break. It's not much better then the bush. "Some pathway…sigh, this is frustrating."

Traveling, I realize where I had seen this forest. It's quite similar to the one from my dreams, or at least it looks like the same one. Could it have been based in Nosgoth? I'm not sure if my dream had any real meaning, or if it was merely a dream. I haven't had anything like it before. Even though I frequently have lucid dreams. It all seemed terribly significant, or symbolic of something. But, as I contemplate it more, it doesn't seem to relate to anything in my current life. Although, I'm frequently running from something...

My backpack is starting to way me down again. I've only been walking for an hour now. It has been almost two days since my arrival in Nosgoth, so I have to be nearing the pillars soon. Maybe I should stop and have some rations to regenerate some energy. I will need to gather as much strength as I can to reach the pillars before nightfall.

This forest is so peaceful, quiet, and serene. I feel like I can stay here forever in a peaceful bliss. After my short break, I trudge along the path once again. I take pictures along the way. The forests are definitely different in my time. I saw nothing quite like this before. There wasn't as much forest either. Nosgoth's major cities expanded greatly in the last 10 years in my timeline. They're trying to increase tourism, or so they say. Much of the land outside the cities are taken up by farms. To see any real nature you have to go to the few national parks that exist. I had only been to one, the Termogent Reserve. Similar to this forest, but the trees aren't as big. Probably because the trees are fairly new in that forest. There was a large fire that swept across the land ages ago. It obliterated much of Nosgoth's natural forests. Some say it might have been caused by the fire that ravaged Avernus centuries ago.

There are a lot of beautiful flowers alone the way. Purple ones, blue ones, yellow ones. I can feel myself getting more and more distracted along the way. I seriously need pick up the pass if I want to catch up to Raziel. I doubt he needs to take breaks along the way, he can probably run forever. There's something about him that intrigues me, and not just because he's a demon either. There's something about him that's familiar.

"Time to suck it up and get moving..." I pick up the pace with a light jog. I just know I'm getting close...

(Raziel)

I am still traveling through the forest that leads to the mountains and the pillars beyond. I could not get that peculiar woman out of my mind. She claimed to have come from the future, to do research on Nosgoth's history. I don't know what would compel her to do such a thing. Especially to risk altering the future for a little piece of history. Yet for some reason it means so much to her.

I have no way of knowing how much of this is true, or what kind of information she withheld from me. The thing I found most captivating was her ability to stand up to me and why she was so desperate to know my name? Perhaps she is working for Moebius and is merely trying to alter my decisions to better suit the human race. Although, she did appear to be from the future like she said. Everything about her is different than the citizens of this day and age. Her clothing, her accent, her confidence, everything. Her behaviour was quite suspicious indeed and I know that is not the last time I will see her. I would be foolish to think that we weren't going to cross paths again.

The nerve she had _"So what, you're checking me out now." _Oh please, these humans give themselves too much acclaim. Yet, no matter how much I wanted to rip the life out of her body, something stayed my hand and I could not stop staring into her bewitching eyes. Could she have been a sorcerer? She didn't seem to be welding any kind of magic. No matter, next time I see her I will not be so generous.

I come to a stream that appears to take me through a mountain valley to the pillars. This will be the quickest way to get there. Hopefully Vorador still lives. Out of oblivion demonic creatures sprout from the ground.

"Raziel!"

"Hissss."

Their appearance is not far off from my own, and I have not yet discovered who they are. Is it possible that they too serve the same parasite that disturbs my every thought? They block the path in front of me and I have no choice but to fight them. Very well, they will soon come to regret our meeting.

I charge in and send them flying with the power of the Reaver. These creatures seem stronger and faster than the last ones I met in the catacombs. They manage to achieve a few blows, but they are no match for me or the Soul Reaver. I am soon rejuvenated after devouring their souls, and the way to the pillars now lay open to me. I will soon get the answers I have been perusing for so long.

(Michelle)

It's so dark, I can't even see my hand in front of my face. The forests canopy blocks all moon light. It seems to come to life at night as well, as I can hear all sorts of sounds around me; it's just amazing, yet terrifying. I can hear wolves, frogs, crickets, and even loons on occasion. I feel horribly exposed, as every little sound startles me. Bending down I pull a flash light out of my bag and turn it on immediately. It doesn't help as much as I hoped, but it sooths my fear.

There's no way I will catch up to Raziel now. I don't know why me seeing him again is so important, other than the evidence I need. It feels like it's more than that. I'm not sure what it is. Perhaps Raziel represents years of research and inspiration. Ever since I was a little girl I've been obsessed with Nosgoth. The theories of vampires and demons have captivated my imagination for years.

A few hours pass as I try to make up for lost time. Stumbling around at night is not the brightest idea. If any wolves are nearby they won't hesitate to chase me down. I would be no match, and an easy meal for them. I'm incredibly exhausted, but I have to press on. I need to get out of this forest as soon as possible.

Thirty minutes later and I am too tired to keep going. I feel like I'm going to hurl, but I walk a little further through the dark, eerie forest. This is probably one of the boldest things I have ever done. Standing up to Raziel would be the first. Although, if I had met him at night in this forest, I probably would have lost my shit. I finally find a suitable place to sleep. Tried to build a fire but failed, so I just curled up in my sleeping bag under as much underbrush as possible. With no effort I fall asleep, unsure of what's to come in the morning.

When I look at my watch it is 6:00 in the morning. At least I got some sleep. Feeling refreshed I travel back along the skinny pathway. I find it easier to ignore all the sounds around me. All of a sudden I hear a splash, and I realize I came to a river. Feet soaked, I hop back onto the river's edge to investigate my surroundings. This river seems to run through a valley, in between two mountains. On the bank of the river I notice footprints in the soft soil. They look animalistic, and the closer I look the more they start to look like Raziel's footprints. To pairs of cloven hooves. Could Raziel have come this way or is this a different creature? I hope I'm not about to meet it if it is…

I walk through the shallow river and through the valley. I can see the pillars as I round the bend. Excitement bubbles within me. In my timeline the pillars are so protected that no one is permitted to see them. Unless you can get permission of course, but you had to seek an audience with their guardian. They were under extreme fortification by some nobleman named Kain, or so they say. No one had ever met him or spoke to him. Therefore, it is practically impossible. Believe me, I've tried…

(Raziel)

I had finally made it to the pillars, but not first slaying a gang of vampire hunter along the way. They were camping out along the path to the pillars, constantly on a campaign to slay all vampires to cause mass extinction. I had once thought these crusades were noble and altruistic before I had discovered the truth about the vampire race. The true guardians of the pillars.

There is a vantage point in which I can see a stronghold far off in the distance, across the great south lake. It must be the Sarafan stronghold. It no longer holds its former glory, since the days of the Sarafan have long since passed. Now Moebius's crusade of mercenaries have taken over, but they are nothing but thugs and outcasts. Yet they feared to walk these paths?

I walk down from the viewpoint and make my way to Ariel. Once again I witness the pillars crumbling in decay, due to the corruption of the circle. I can see Ariel, the specter of the murdered balance Guardian, the last undefiled member of the circle. She will be bound her for eternity until her successor, Kain fulfills his dreadful duty. Thus, balance will be restored to Nosgoth.

(Michelle)

Finally I make it to the pillars, but it is well earned. I was soaked from head to toe when I made it through the stream, which turned into a waterfall that poured into a small pound. I had to jump from the small drop into the pool of water. I swear if I didn't have bad luck I wouldn't have any luck at all.

I can't believe my eyes when I see the pillars for the first time, up close. Their presence is ominous and magnificent, and there in the center is Raziel. I didn't think I could catch up to him so fast. I quickly dodged behind a large tree. He appears to be talking to someone, and when I look further, I can see he is talking to a spirit. This sure is getting strange, I suppose if vampires and demons exist ghosts would to, right?

This must be the murdered guardian of the pillars. That must mean the stories where true and there were a group of nine guardians; each assigned a pillar. I quickly bent down and pull out my camera. Hopefully they don't see me, or hear the click of the camera. I try to listen in on their conversation. Their voices are coherent enough from where I am.

"Ariel." She came gliding out from behind the pillars.

"What manner of creature approaches?"

"I have come here to seek your guidance."

"I council only one man and you are not him. The Infection of your kind will soon be coming to an end."

"My kind? What exactly do you think I am?" I start my recorder.

"Your name shall remain unspoken, as degreed by our ancestors. You serve the one who so brutally took my life and set this tragedy in motion. But hope is at work and Balance will be restored, expelling your kind forever." Yes this is what I've be looking for all these years.

"If you have pinned your hopes on Kain, he will disappoint you." Kain? interesting, could he be linked with the man in my timeline who guards the pillars. But that would make him thousands of years old. Unless…he is a vampire.

(Raziel)

"And what do you know of Kain?"

"More than you can ever fathom."

"Kain will chose the right choice, you will see."

"We will indeed." I don't expect much from Arial, after all she has been imprisoned here for an eternity. Impudent and hopeful to be released form her torment.

"What do you want?"

"I seek the vampire Vorador."

"To kill him perhaps or to join him the death?"

"My reasons are my own."

"He lays in the heart of the black forest, and may you molder there together until the end to come." She drifts off and vanishes before my eyes. The way to Vorador lays to the northeast and I am closer to my answers than I ever been. And, just when I thought I would no longer have any more distractions from my purpose…

(Michelle)

Something falls from my bag, I had forgotten to close it after I grabbed my camera. Raziel whips around in my direction. I quickly hid behind the tree, doubtful that I had eluded his vision.

"Turn and face me, I know your there creature." He sounds fuming. I should be careful about what I say from now on…

(Raziel)

It is that same women again. What is this, follow the leader? Has she been spying on me this whole time? I did not think she could catch up to me so quickly, unless she is some kind of sorceress. She languidly reveals herself from her hiding place and puts one hand on her hip, smiling at me. There has to be more to her sordid little schemes and I am going to shake it out of her.

"Alright! You caught me!"

"You're fallowing me."

"As if I knew you would be coming here? Be serious." She has quite the attitude. I doubt she's who she says she is.

"Then what are you doing here, skulking around in the background. Don't think I didn't know you were here this whole time." I did not, but she doesn't have to know this.

"Answer me!" She stares at me with a blank expression.

"I already told you everything."

"No, you have not told me everything, there is something you're hiding from me isn't there." Walking towards her, I stop about six feet in front of her. She takes a step back and there is something different in her eyes. Perhaps I at last struck the right cord with her.

"Now tell me your reasons for fallowing me here. I seriously doubt anybody would have traveled back to this derelict age merely to study its history."

"Well, that's why I'm here"

"So your telling me that Nosgoth somehow lost thousands of years of history than?" I hope this is not the case.

"No…"

"Don't play games with me human! You have tested my patience for the last time."

(Michelle)

I don't want to lie to him about this, but I don't know how he'll react to the truth either. He has just given me the most vital evidence I could have ever ask for. I can probably go home with this, but my curiosity is always getting the better of me.

"Look, how about this...I tell you more about my story if you tell me about yours." I am a girl on a mission. He appears to be well involved in Nosgoth's history and I need indication. Hopefully he will provide.

"Yes, let me remember how well that went last time…oh yes, you lied too me!" Why do I always get the sarcastic ones?

"I didn't lie to you!"

"Oh? Then what do you call that then?"

"Withholding information." I say with a cheeky grin, he's going to snap me in two.

"How about this. You drop the falsehood and tell me your real motives, and I won't devour every scrap of information you toss me!" A strange white-blue mist pours down from his right arm, taking a sword like shape. I wonder what kind of sorcery that could be. Have I out done my welcome at last?

"…What's that?"

"The instrument of your doom," He brought it up to my neck "I would start explaining if I were you." It probably would be smart to give in, but I'm still not going to. I'm worse than a reporter.

"If you're going to do it, do it already. I don't have all day." He narrows his eyes at me.

"I don't know what you're up to, but I'm going to be doing the manipulating around here from now on." He approaches me.

"What are you doing?" I scuffle back a little bit.

"You're coming with me, I don't know who you think you are, but I'm going to keep my eyes on you from here on."

"You can't be serious."

"Watch me." He grabs me by the arm and his hand feels as cold as ice. He drags me all the way past the pillars and up two small cliffs beyond. We reach an abnormally dark forest and I fear for what he has planned for me. He seems to think I'm scheming something, and I suppose it is for good reason. I wasn't being truthful with him and he can sense that. Maybe I should have told him why I am here. This is going to be a long trip…

* * *

Hope you enjoyed.

I do not own legacy of kain or its characters. I only own Michelle.


	5. Affiliation

**Chapter 5**

**Affiliation**

_Chapter Updated: May 6, 2013_

* * *

I have no idea what he has planned for me. We've been traveling through this forest for at least an hour now. The ground is wet and the trees are covered in a thick moss. The color of the bark is a dark umber and the whole forest is cloaked in a gloomy shadow. A shiver crawls up my spine. My feet and cloths are still wet and it's cold under the shade of the trees. Hopefully I don't catch pneumonia.

This would indeed be the perfect place for a vampire to seek refuge. So far Raziel and I have not exchanger a single word. He's under the impression that I'm withholding something, which he's not exactly wrong, but it's nothing hostile.

He makes me walk in front of him, which I suppose is his way of keeping an eye on me. I'm in way over my head and I need a distraction so I can get away from him and go home. If only a band of worriers would come by, like the ones I saw on the trail before I met Raziel. That would keep him busy long enough for me to escape.

"...Where are we going?"

He doesn't answer, instead He just shoves me along to keep me moving. What is his problem anyways? Would it kill him to give me an answer? We've been walking in silence for far too long now and frankly I'm getting sick of it. Enough is enough I have to get away from him. I'll wait for the perfect moment. This forest is quite dense, perhaps I can lose him in the entangling flora. It's probably foolish to think that I can out smart him, but hope is all I have right now.

As I look for a means of escape, these creatures seem to crawl out of the ground _"how convenient"_. They look similar to Raziel, but there are a few differences. Their ghoulish and revolting, and their eyes appear to have a green glow rather than Raziel's blue glow. Could he be affiliated with these fiends?

I turn around to see what is happening, and judging by Raziel's body language I can tell they are not welcome. They all lunged at him. Seeing my chance, I take off into the woods. He should be fine on his own. I don't know why I care, after all he is holding me hostage. And I doubt he cares for my safety and well-being. I hope that those monsters are preoccupied with Raziel. I wouldn't stand a chance against those things.

As I'm bolting through the forest, tripping and stumbling, I can hear something coming up behind me. I trip once again, landing on my hands and knees. Before I can get up off the ground a demon lands in front of me with a wolfish grin. Its teeth, rotting in decay. I can almost see streams coming off of them. I get up and run for my life. Dodging and twisting through the brush, twigs cutting my exposed arms. All I can hear is the rustling of branches and leaves. Surly that demon didn't hesitate to pursue me.

(Raziel)

"_Has she lost her mind, running will only draw more attention to her?!" _

Strange how she runs from these creatures and not I during our meeting. The more I think about it, the more I start to suspect she isn't running from them, but is merely trying to elude my grasp. I am not going to let her escape me this easily. I dispose of the demons with haste and pursue her through the forest. I had not seen the direction she ran, but there is an obvious trail of destruction to my right.

As I follow the twisted path she left behind, I can see her in the distance and there appears to be a creature pursuing her as well. Part of me thinks it would be amusing to witness her inevitable end. But, she still holds my curiosity. Besides, her demise is going to be my pleasure.

Closing in on them I can see the demon finally catch up to her. Infuriated I run faster. I can see her trip over a tree root. I am perplexed at how long she is able to elude it. She is pathetically clumsy for a human. If she had dropped her bag in the first place she could have ran much faster and increased her chances of survival. There must be something important in that bag, as she must not have wanted me to retrieve it. If I can get a hold of that bag, her little secrets will be exposed. The demon jumps into the air, as it goes in for the kill…

(Michelle)

The demon leaps into the air and I curl up into a ball. This is it I am going to die. My life flashes before my eyes and I reflect on my time spent on earth. What have I accomplished? The last conversation I had with my dad enters my mind as I see a blue blur. It's Raziel and that demon is now flat on the ground. As it gets up Raziel spears it with that ghostly blade. The creature squirms and lets out a few last gargles before dying.

How had he managed to catch up to me so fast? He defeated all those demons before catching up to me? Impressive. He turns his attention towards me. If it weren't for that cloth wrapped around his face he would be smirking. He has one eyebrow raised and a hand on his hip.

"Thought you could escape me?"

"What are you talking about, that demon was chasing me!"

"You can drop the deceitful act, if you were truly running from that demon you would have dropped your luggage." He walks over and grabs my bag. He has me cornered. I'm not sure what I'm going to tell him.

"What do you want from me?!"

"Merely the truth. I have been deceived by nearly every individual I have come in contact with, and have come to the conclusion that no encounter is a coincidence"

"Okay look, I don't know who you are, I'm not scheming anything, and I certainly was not fallowing you." That last one was a fib, but I wasn't going to tell him that, besides I was going in that direction anyways.

"That may be so, but what are you doing here? What is your true endeavour?"

"Look I'm tired, cold, and hungry. It's getting darker out so it must be nightfall. Let's find somewhere to stay the night and I will tell you everything if it matters so much to you."

"I have no time to be sitting around a camp fire. Tell me now and I will leave you on your pathetic journey."

"Either we find somewhere to sleep now, or I'm not going to be telling you anything!"

"and give me my bag back!"

"Why is it so difficult for you to answer…Fine! But we leave first thing in the morning, and I'm holding on to this for now." When he turns around I let out a cheeky grin. Perfect now I won't have to lug that backpack around.

I look for a good camp site. I want one near a stream or lake so I can clean myself, I feel disgusting. As I travel through the woods further I can hear a stream in the distance. As we walk to the stream we remain quiet. I can see a badger waddling off in the distance so I take my camera out of my pocket and take a picture of it.

"What are you doing?" he takes a step back.

"Oh this, it's just my camera." He looks at me baffled. "...It takes images of things." I snapped a picture of him. He lunges out and grabs it out of my hands with lightning fast reflexes.

"Hey! What's the big deal?" I frown, pouting.

"Don't do that again."

I smile at him. "What's a matter camera shy?" He shot me a vexed glance.

"…Why are you in such a bad mood?"

"This is a good mood, and you're testing my patience." He tosses me my camera. He's so touchy! Yet he has a surprising sense of humour. I put my camera back in my pocket and we keep walking towards the stream. When we arrive I set up camp for the night. Raziel climbs up a nearby tree and sits on one of the branches. I can only see his tattered wings hanging down.

"Heyyyy! Aren't you going to help me!?" I scowl at him. He ignores me.

"…"

"I see precious little reason to bother."

_"Oh! He's so conceited! I could strangle him_." I doubt it would do anything, but still.

Grumbling to myself I set out through the forest to gather sticks once again. When I come back Raziel is still up in his cozy little tree. I'm getting better at starting fires. It only took me a few minutes this time. I have a good system; dry fodder on the bottom, twigs on top, and larger branches on top of that, that way they catch fire.

It gets dark fast in the forest, so I go to grab a towel from my bag…_"My bag! Raziel has it! Arg!"_ so much for my fabulous idea, now I have to somehow convince him too give it to me.

"Ahem."

"…"

"Ahem!" he continues to ignore me.

"I need my bag you jerk!"

"We have a deal remember?" he says slyly.

"Can we please make an exception, I want my stuff!"

"And I want answers…we don't always get what we want now do we."

"Okay, I don't want I NEED my things!"

"…"

"…please." Feeling hopeless I flop to the ground in defeat. Sitting here feeling sorry for myself, I hear something behind me and I turn around in a start. I see my bag laying on the ground. I light up with joy.

"Thank you!"

I grab my towel and soap and set out for the stream. As I walk away from the camp Raziel questions me. I tell him to relax, as I'm going to clean myself a little ways down the stream for privacy. He tells me not to flatter myself because he isn't the least bit interested in human cattle. I almost lose my cool when he referenced me to livestock, but I shake it off and set out.

I reach a nice quiet spot by the stream far enough from camp. Attracted to me or not, who wants someone staring at them while they bath, Christ! I can't blame him, I suppose he's lost whatever humanity he had when he became a demon, assuming he was anything else before. I can still see the fire from here, flickering in the gloom. It is my only comfort in the dark of the night.

(Raziel)

I cannot believe that unusual female. As if I care to see her naked. Besides I have more important matters to be concerned with. She hasn't wandered too far off, so I can still see her through the trees, slightly from where I am. If she decides to make a run for it I will be well aware. I try to focus on my previous concerns. Perhaps I am just waiting out the inevitable, hiding out in the forest to elude my destiny. When did I become such a coward? I should face my destiny rather than avoid it…

What will Vorador have to say when I reach his private kingdom nestled deep in the black forest? Surely if he made the Reaver, he would have the power to rewrite my fate. I have seen the evidence painted in murals. My eyes wander back to her in the stream and I feel a strange sensation come over me. A sense of curiosity and longing… I shake my head, what is wrong with me? I try to ignore her, but it is futile. Perhaps I am anxious she will escape. The forest is getting darker and it is getting harder to see her from here. The dancing flames below are making it challenging to see through the darkness. I decide to head down to her location to keep an eye on her.

Slowly, I make my way in the direction I last saw her, trying not to make a sound. The bushes and trees along the way conceal me as I approach. She came into sight, and she is still there, immersing in the stream. This is a waste of time, and as I try to go back I cannot move my feet. She is half submerged in the water with her back facing towards me. Humming a melody of some sort. No matter how hard I try to look away, my eyes stay fixed on her. I feel like my body is deceiving me. This must be some kind of sorcery?

Her skin reflects the moonlight giving it a smooth glossy appearance as she dips into the water, her hair laying carelessly across her back. I watch her brush her hands over her face and down the length of her hair as she rings out any excess water. I am reminded that she is very much a female. Her curves, her small frame, and her soft features. All of which add to her overall beauty. Perhaps I have been too harsh with her, no matter how annoying she may be. Soon, I am in a trance like state I fear I will never be released from.

Out of nowhere a multitude of demons ambush the two of us and I snap back into reality. I had not sensed them coming. How is this possible? They run into the lake and grab her, pulling her out by her hair kicking and screaming. Getting aggravated, I burst out of my hiding place and charge into the group. Drunk with rage, I slaughter them; ruthlessly slaying every demon that dare confront me. In my blind furry, one jumps on my back and stabs me repeatedly with a blade. The few left charge in for the kill. Just before I lost all matter and dissolved into the spirit realm, the demon is pulled off my back by her. I summon the Reaver again and annihilate them one by one. I quickly devour the souls as they are released from their bodily shells.

When I come out of my blight, I walk over to her and toss her my banner that hides my wounded face. I try to head back to the camp before she sees me. She latches onto my hand gasping for air.

"…Thank you…"

I can feel that sensation come over me once again. Perhaps I am growing soft…? We stand here for a few minutes as my rage subsides, my face turned away. She shows no sign of let me go, so I slowly undo her hold on me and quickly head back to the campsite. I climb back up the tree I was in earlier. I don't want her to see the true monster that lay behind the mask. Not that it would matter, but my pride still runs through these veins. I was once considered handsome…

(Michelle)

I don't know why he fled in such a hurry. Was it something I did? I dry my body off quickly with my towel, got into my cloths, grabbed my things, and went back to the campsite. He's back up in his tree. I feel bad, he seemed in distress about something. Maybe he was badly injured by that demon. He doesn't look at me when I arrive at the campsite, his cloth draped over my arm.

"…Raziel?"

He just turned his head more in the other direction, so I put my things back on the ground and attempt to climb the tree he's sitting in. With his cloth draped over my shoulder I put my foot on a knot on the tree and leap up, grabbing a limb. I wrap my legs around it and slowly roll around the other side of the branch, so I'm not hanging upside down. Using branches and broken limbs to climb up the rest of the tree, I finally reach Raziel's branch. I can see he's changed branches and is now one above me. He has his back facing me.

"Thank you for saving me. Again."

"…"

"And for lending me your…banner?"

"…"

"That was very kind of you…" There is still no response.

"Look, do you want it back or not." I say get agitated. I grew tired of being nice when he was completely ignoring me.

All he does is reach his hand out, without turning around. I place it in his hand and he raps it around his face. Standing up on my branch, I try to reach with my leg to the same branch he is sitting on, but it is futile. Until I notice a branch higher than my head in the middle of our two branches. I grab on to it and swing my legs over to Raziel's branch. This branch is a little higher than the one I was previously on, so I have to push off of the branch I swung off of. I didn't quite push hard enough and fell backwards. I grip the branch with both my legs and hands, hanging upside down. It takes all my strength to pull myself up right onto the branch, ripping my jeans in the process.

"What are you doing?" he comments, raising his eye brow.

"So I have to act like a complete idiot to get your attention." I smile at him. He looks away.

"You managed to get to me pretty fast?"

"…"

"Is teleportation one of your many abilities?" I say sarcastically.

"No, but devouring the souls of annoying, sarcastic females is." He glares at me.

"I didn't know demons had a sense of humour."

"…I wasn't joking." I look away apprehensive.

"Look, I think we got off on the wrong start."

"My name is Michelle." I said extending my hand.

"And why would I care?" He saves my life from a group of brutish monsters and acts as if he could care less if I even existed.

"Well I care, I'm sick of you calling me 'human' all the time."

"That's not going to change anything…human."

This is going to be hard getting any kind of information from him. We sat here in silence for a while. I look back on the attack that happened moments ago. Why does he wear that mask around his face? What was he hiding? There was no harm in asking, I hope.

"So…what happened?" I say as I put my hand up and slowly reach for the mask around his face. He grabs my arm and looks at me with angry eyes. Okay, I out stepped my boundaries there.

"Sorry, I'm just curious that's all."

"Curiosity killed that cat."

"Hey, we had a deal remember. I'll tell you my story, if you tell me yours."

"I only recall agreeing to you telling me yours." He was right I couldn't deny it.

"Well I find it silly that you're allowed to know everything about me, when I know nothing about you." He looks at me, mistrustful.

"Why do you care so much?"

"Because everybody has a story and I want to know yours." he stares into my eyes judgementally.

"Would it really be so detrimental if you told me a little bit about yourself?"

"I mean I'm human? What could I possibly do to you?" he seems to be contemplating, starring off into the distant trees. How many times has he been double crossed? He's so wary. We sit in silence for a few minutes.

"…My brethren through me into the lake of the dead. That's what made what you see before you now."

"Brethren? what were you a priest or something?" He looks at me in disbelief.

"Far from it. I was a vampire." Wow did I ever strike gold or what! This is better than I could have ever asked for. I need to keep him talking.

"Why?...why would they do something like that?"

"…sigh." He shake his head.

"So full of questions yet you fail to answer any of mine truthfully."

"Your right, I'm sorry." He looks at me incredulously. I take a deep breath.

"I'm a researcher, a historian. I came here to study Nosgoth's past."

"You've already said that." He turns towards me losing his patients.

"I know, I know. What I'm looking for is evidence of the existence of vampires and demons."

"We've suspected they played a large role in the history of Nosgoth for some time now."

"You have no idea…"

"and that's why I travel through time."

"Okay? sooooo, can you answer some more of my questions." I grin.

"That was hardly worth anything."

"I'm sorry, but that's all I got. I wish I could tell you more." I say sincerely.

He sighs in frustration. Once again we sit in silence. I take some time to admire the scenery. A fog has set in over the forest, the sound of frogs and crickets make up the ambient noise around us. I think back to home and how much I miss my family and friends. I wonder what will happen when I go back. They'll probably be pissed…

"…I was a lieutenant in a clan of seven vampires, our empire at the base of the pillars. Kain, our leader would go through a series of changes, in which we would follow. I rebelliously surpassed him in evolution, developing a pair of wings. Because of my deceitful act he ordered my own brethren to cast me into the abyss. Water scorches like acid to a vampire's skin and I suffered endlessly as I fell to the bottom. I was thus reborn as a wraith, a devourer of souls…happy?" I sat here staring mouth agape. Not sure what to say.

"They cast you into the lake of the dead...Because Kain was envious?" he watches in disbelief as I try to make sense of his story.

"So I thought…although, I'm not so sure of that anymore…"

"Where are you going now? To kill this kain?" he seems to be lost in a trance when I look at him.

"Tell me something? Do vampires and demons exist in your time?"

"No, not a single one…that we know of." His eyes widen.

(Raziel)

So Janos had been right and had always been right. In her time humans have no recollection of vampire existence. What had happened to them? If what she's saying is true, then that means Moebius's crusade was successful in their journey to slay all vampires and more important what had happened to Kain and myself? If I did not exist then what cruel fate was I condemned to? Maybe I have no higher destiny then my prison in Reaver blade.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, and why do you care?"

"You seem to be in distress about something."

"Why are there no vampires in you time? What had happened to them?"

"Well I don't know that's why I'm here. I was hoping you could tell me that."

So Nosgoth is merely a mystery to her. Vampires had such a large impact on human life during my time. I find it odd that there massacre have gone unnoticed throughout history. I can see her struggling to get down the tree, it is almost as amusing as watching her come up. When she reachs the bottom, she walks over to the fire and throws some more branches on it. It was nothing but embers now. I watch her pull something out of her luggage. She unrolls it and curls up inside of it. She appears to be scribbling in a journal of some kind. When she falls asleep I can sneak down and retrieve it, to see if what she has told me is true.

A few hours later she has finally gone to sleep. I slip down the tree silently and creep up on her. I watch her sleep peacefully, the fire bronzing her cheeks as she dreams. I wonder what it is like to sleep and dream. I have no memories of my life as a human. It was lost to the void from many years of lying dead in my casket, until Kain pulled my soul from the very depths of oblivion. I wonder what it would feel like to live again, to feel alive once more. I have no heart to warm my body, no blood that coerces through these veins. My strength comes from the underworld. She was stirring in her sleep and her hair was blowing gently in the breeze.

She has her bag beside her head and as I reach for it she begins to stir. She latches on to my arm, so I grab a stick and replace my arm with it. I grab her bag quietly, unsure how to open it. There was no buttons or strings, just this metal band that ran along the length of the bag. I noticed it has a tab attached to it and when I pull it along the band it opens. It makes a loud, scraping sound, causing her to stir once more. I quickly reach inside and pull out her journal. I flip through it, it's riddled with writing.

I look through her bag some more and pull out the object that takes still images. I fiddle around with the buttons on the top of the camera and it makes a clicking sound and a light flashes one top. Surly I have woke her this time, but she still lays still. She must be a heavy sleeper. I put the camera back in her bag and pull out a book of some kind. It reads _sketchbook_, when I open the paperback, it has a few pictures in it. Some are half finished, while others are complete drawings. She's quite talented. As I continue to flip through I come to a page that appears be a drawing of myself, uncompleted. Is this what I truly look like? The abyss was quite unkind. I take her journal and head to the tree and leap back up onto the branch I was on previously. I flip through the pages, scanning them for information. Until I notice my name. I wonder what she has to say about me. It reads:

_I ran into a demon today. He said his name was Raziel, a handsome name for a demon, very angelic, which I find quite ironic. _

"What is that supposed to mean?"

_I found it quite humorous that his voice sounded nothing like I was expecting. He had a strong, deep, assertive voice. Not very demonic at all._

"What am I, a joke to her? and what did she think a demon would sound like?"

_To be honest I found his voice quite attractive. He has a certain rugged charm too. _

_"_Ah, now these are the kind of things I want to hear. Perhaps I had not lost all my charm when I burned in the abyss."

_But, he's so arrogant and self-righteous._

"What?!" She stirs in her sleep below, my voice echoing through the woods. All the creatures fall silent for a brief moment before continuing on.

_He's bossy and unreasonable. It's like he thinks he's better than me. Honestly, I can't believe his audacity._

"My audacity! She is far more arrogant than I will ever be!"

As I flip through the rest of the book, I see there is nothing in here that constitutes a conspiracy. Other than the brutal slander of myself. I save her life time and again and this is the thanks I get. I can't believe her ignorance. It begins to rain. I don't bother waking her up. I think I will let her receive a well-deserved soaking.

(Michelle)

It's raining when I wake up and my sleeping bag is soaking wet "just perfect, errr"

I completely forget where I am and when I turn around I see Raziel standing there. I scream, jumping out of my skin. He just looks at me pathetically and a little bit insulted. I'm sure he's used to it by now, right? I was having dreams all night about being chased by demons, so I was a little jumpy today. We set out to find Raziel's Vampire in these woods. We made an agreement that I can travel with him there, but we have to part ways after that.

As we travel, a squirrel jumps form one tree to another right in front of my face, I inevitably shriek. All morning Raziel was casting me funny looks. I'm a walking amusement to him. That's probably why he agreed to me tagging along. He seems to be in hurry, so he isn't exactly walking slowly. I'm having a hard time keeping pace with him, so I have to run every now and then to keep up. When I tell him to slow down he snarls at me. That was the end of that conversation. He seems particularly snarky today, I have no idea why.

I spent my time last night drawing Raziel in my sketchbook, so I am trying to write as I walk, about what he said last night. That is very valuable information he gave me and I want to get it down while it's fresh. How lucky is it that I ran into him. He's both a vampire and a demon. Plus, it's like having my own personal body guard.

We were traveling for some time now. It's hard to walk through the forest after it had rained last night. It is wet, muddy and slippery, not good conditions when you're someone like myself. I am the most accident-prone person you could ever meet and I'm always getting myself into trouble, somehow. Raziel seems to have no trouble walking through this tough terrain.

We began to walk along a muddy ledge. I'm still trying to write at the same time. Until I hit a slippery part, and down I went. Screaming all the way down, at first it went kind of smooth, but as soon as I hit the trees it got interesting. I'm going incredibly fast, trees whizzing past me and cutting me in the legs and arms. I can't feel much, it must be the adrenalin. I'm terrified when I see a ledge, it's a ravine. Of course it's a ravine. There is no way I can survive the drop, and there appears to be no sign of Raziel coming to my rescue.

I hit a tree, making me spin around. I was now going head first down the slope. As I slide off the edge I can see a river beneath me. I figure it will be better to fall into a river than to hit the ground and die. I was so scared and I try to turn myself around so I can go feet first into the river. I hit the water with incredible speed and can feel my legs hit the bottom. I push off the ground and scramble for the surface. The river is so powerful I find it hard to keep my head above the water.

I'm gasping for air and can only get small amounts at a time before water washes over my face. Unfortunately, most of those gasps were of water. I can feel it flowing into my lungs with every breath of air. I hit a few rocks on my way down the river, which forces all the air in my lunges out. I have to have broken a few ribs on the way. Soon all went black, I can feel the pain slowly subside into nothing.

(Raziel)

I can see the path she cleared on her way down the slope. I want to go after her, but I know Moebius's vampire hunters will get to Vorador for sure if I do not hurry. I contemplate this and I figure I'm too late to help her by now anyways. I'm sure she's fully capable of handling this situation and she will - no doubt, find her way to Vorador's mansion. I set back out across the slippery trail and if I'm not careful then I to will be sliding down the slope.

From there it did not take long to reach Vorador's mansion. I enter the gate and notice two stone gargoyles mounted on two tall pillars that line the walkway. I can sense they will not remain that way forever. I walk up the stairs that lead to the entrance. A half moon roof is held up with pillars. The doorway is well sheltered from the rain, but as I pull on the door, the ground begin to shake fiercely. I quickly dodge out of the way bounding off of one of the pillars, watching the roof come crashing down. I turn my attention towards the strange gargoyles, as they break free from their shells. I knew I was no longer welcome here and I have to destroy these creatures if I want to progress further.

I lunged at one of the gargoyles and swing the soul reaver at its abdomen, but it is hardly effective. The gargoyle swings its sword and sends me flying back. Landing in front of the other gargoyle, which swings its sword down on top of me. I catch it before it impacts and dodge out of the way. I have to find another means to destroy them. The gargoyles walk side by side towards me, so I dodge in-between them, both swinging their swords and hitting one another.

I survey my surroundings and notice one of the tall pillars is cracked. I run over to it, those gargoyles not hesitating to pursue me. They are slow, so it gives me some time. I try to push it over manually but there's no use, so I try my telekinesis and it appears to crack the pillar even more. It takes a few blows to complete the task, but the pillar begins to sway and creak above me. I grab onto the pillar, reluctant to fall on top of me, and with all my strength I push it in the right direction. It falls directly on top of the two gargoyles and completely obliterates them. Their high-pitched screams filled the air, making the roof to the door come crashing down. I now have a way to get inside Vorador's mansion through the broken window above. I wonder if Michelle was able to get back up that hill she fell down. I'm sure that's not the last I will see of her.

* * *

Hope you enjoyed.

I do not own any of the Legacy of Kain characters I only own Michelle.


	6. Dedt

**Chapter 6**

**Debt**

_Chapter Updated: May 8th, 2013._

* * *

When I enter Vorador's mansion all is silent. The only noise that echoes through these halls is the sound of thunder on occasion. Lightning flashes through the widows lighting up the hallways as I walk through the manor. A maze of halls and corridors, I wonder if I've been walking in circles. Some of these halls look far too familiar. I come into a large indoor garden with three spouting gargoyles, pouring water into a pool on the lower level. They seem to relate to the portals that have transported me to the vampire ruins. The gargoyles are sculptures of the vampire's enemy. Murals correspond with these figures, showing vampiric worriers impaling their adversaries. Perhaps there is more to this than there appears to be. I must find Vorador first…

(Michelle)

I struggle to open my eyes, but when I finally do there's still darkness. My hearing is muffled, but I can still hear soft mumbling in the background. I have no idea what happened to me or where I am for that matter. I'm struggling to remember something, anything, but there's nothing. I lay still in the dark for a while, waiting for my memory to return. As I rest I can see flashbacks appear in my mind. Too tired to stay awake, I close my eyes and drift off.

_I'm drowning in a river. Every breath I take I swallow more water. Whenever my head breaks the surface I try to breath. The currant is so strong, no matter how hard I try to swim against it, waves wash over me and carry me under the surface. I hit rocks as the river thrashes me about. My head throbs terribly amongst other parts. My strength is quickly diminishing and I am slipping fast, I feel like giving up._

_As the current tries to pull me under one last time, I feel a hand grab my arm and pull me out of the water. Two other hands assist in the process…somebody holding me in their warm arms, it felt so good… good… and safe…_

My eyes open once again, my head still throbbing from my strange dream; was it a dream? It's horribly bright this time. I have a hard time keeping my eyes open due to the strength of the light. I cover my face with my arms blocking the bright rays, sighing in pain. I can hear somebody rustle around a bit. I cautiously open my eyes again, not knowing what to expect. I can see the room I am in now, or rather the hut. It's a small one-room home, with a kitchen, living quarters, and some make shift beds. It was dim in the hut, as there were only a few, small windows. The doorway is only covered by a cloth. The house appears to be made up of large branches and the roof of stray.

As I look around the room examining my surroundings I see a person in the hut. Possibly one of the people that were talking earlier. She's looking at me intensely and seems to be a little bit frightened. She looks young, at least fifteen maybe younger. She was wearing a poncho that looks homemade. She has a few piercings and tattoos, symbols of some kind. She calls out in a language I don't recognize. Soon I can see movement near the door. I can see too little faces pop around the edge of the door smiling and giggling at me. I smile and waved at them and they ran off laughing. They look about my sister's age, which makes me sad.

"Where am I?"

"…do you speak English?"

She looks at me, almost examining me. She yells something out again. Keeping my eye contact as she does so. Someone comes through the doorway this time. It's an older woman with long gray hair, passed her waste. She examines me as well and then says something to me. She speaks to the young girl who hurries out of the room. The older woman sits on the chair the young girl was sitting on a stares at me for the longest time. It's the first time someone beat me at a starring contest. Just as it's starting to get really awkward the young girl come back in the room with another lady. She walks up too me casually.

"Do you speak English" I sit here with my mouth hanging open then realize I hadn't answered yet.

"Oh, uh, yes, yes I do. You do as well?" It seems as though she's trying to make sense of my words.

"Yes, I speak English." She understands me this time and asks me my name. She asks where I came from and said I didn't look like anybody they have ever seen before. I tell them I was not from Nosgoth and that I'm doing research. She doesn't appear to understand, but nods anyways.

"Where am I? What happened to me?" She tries to explain to me a bit in English. It is hard to understand her at first. She rearranges her words.

"You were…dying, in the river." She chooses her words carefully.

"I remember now, I was walking with Raziel. I fell down a muddy slope." I talk to myself. I remember hitting the trees. I look at my arms and legs riddled in bruises. Some memories are best left forgotten.

"Raziel? There was no man?" they look at one another perplexed.

"No, we were traveling together before I fell." I clarify.

"Ohh, I see. Your lover?"

"Oh, no, no, no, no, no."

"NO, ha, ha, haha, ha, ha, ha." I start giggling uncontrollably. They look at one another and smile.

"Ah, you admire him?" they smile

"Oh god no! He's an arrogant, demanding, self-righteous jerk!"

"I see, you love him then." I can feel my face turn beat red. They look at one another and laugh.

"Okay, yes, very funny." I try to join in on the joke. I most certainly do not love him!

"Can they speak English too?" I ask perplexed as they seem to understand our conversation.

"No, they understand it, but cannot speak it." Great, they must think I'm an idiot.

Later in the day, when I feel well enough to walk, they take me outside. Everybody looks at me with mysterious eyes. They show me around their small village. They eventually take me to a small temple located outside of the village. I'm greeted by a shaman or priest. He does some gestures, using incense and tosses water on me. I hope he's doing a blessing, not a curse. I'm already cursed enough.

My mind moves back to Raziel. That bastard left me for dead. He didn't even try to help me that time. I realise our affiliation was merely an illusion. However, when I find him I'm going to give him what for. When we leave the temple I ask them if there's a mansion in the area. They look shocked, and start jabbering at me in their native tongue. I explain that I'm merely trying to get my bearings to calm them down. They reluctantly tell me the direction of the Manor, then lead me back to the hut I was recovering in. I gather my things that were scattered about the room. I didn't appreciate them going through my things, but they did save my life, unlike somebody. He probably thinks I'm dead and believes he is rid of me for good. Not fucking likely. An evil grin forms across my face.

(Raziel)

I find myself in an old greenhouse and can see an outdoor courtyard through the foggy windows. I walk into the court, to my left is a circle of pillars in the center of the court, toppling over from years of neglect. To my right a path that leads alone a large wall that fences the mansion from intruders such as myself. I follow the path that leads to an enclosure with six sconces, I light them with the Reaver infused with fire. Still the door will not disclose itself to me. Perhaps I need to head back to the fountain room and get that portal open before I can enter. I have to first figure out the mystery of the gargoyles?

I scour the Manor for any clues to the fountain room, but I find nothing. I enter a large door, and into a large room. It appears to be a library. Long, vaulted windows run along the whole library. Long, tattered, red curtains hang down, and are pulled back to let the light in. On the far side of the library I can see a statue of one of the hero's depicted on the walls in the fountain room. Approaching the sculpture I notice a weapon and I think back to the gargoyles, and the images painted on the walls. I know what I must do to activate the portal. Grabbing the spear from the statue I race through the Manor scouring, searching for the other two weapons with haste.

(Michelle)

Before I left the village, the people gave me food and water, and we said our good byes. I told them I was really grateful for their help. I find even though I haven't known these people for long I still feel sad leaving. They had shown me such kindness… something I cannot repay.

I look at my old map of Nosgoth. I'm not far from Vorador's Mansion. Perhaps I can catch up with Raziel, assuming that he's still there. The river I fell in carried me to the right side of the cliff we were traveling along side, so all I have to do, according to my villager friends, is follow it north. It should take me straight there. Hopefully I don't get lost along the way.

I travel through a thick, lush forest heading around the base of the cliff. Unlike my first arrival in this timeline, I feel incredibly frightened. I had been traveling through these woods with a strong companion long enough to be spoiled. I try not to think about all the things that have harmed me in the past. I start to hurry through the woods. Finding it hard to walk, I find a large stick to help me through the bush. I doubt that Raziel will be waiting up for me. After all, to him I was just dead weight.

My legs are working like machinery now. It's been at least an hour, if not more. The closer I get to the mansion the more my heart starts pounding, it was the same pounding in my chest that I felt whenever Raziel touched me with his icey hands. The strength in his grip was exciting and terrifying knowing that he could snap my arm like a swig. Every time I stared into his burning eyes, my heart would pick up. It was intense interacting with the supernatural. I found it exhausting at times.

My heart quickens with every step. A light rain drizzles around me, picking up as I travel. And then as I round the corner of the cliff I was following, I see it. The mansion is huge, and domineering. Like something from a horror film. A deep drum like sound, rumbles through the sky and I see a flash of lightning. How macabre...

I race to the front entrance of the mansion. Peeked roofs and towers rise above me as I run up the steep steps. The door is locked. Along the rectangular patio I'm on are too large vaulted widows. I don't want to do this, but the place is already falling apart. I grab a large rock and toss it at the window as hard as I can. Using my foot I kick in the rest of the panel I broke and squeeze my body through.

When I enter the Manor, I'm in a large entrance hall. An immense staircase is directly adjacent to the doorway. The floor is made of marble and a red carpet runs from the door to the stairs. I race up the stairs and begin my search for Raziel. Won't he be surprised to see me, I grin.

(Raziel)

An hour has passed since I found two of the spears needed to open the portal. I only need one more to progress. I find myself in a cellar nestled deep in the bowels of this place. Prisoners hang off the walls, obviously Vorador's main provisions. There's nothing in this room, so I turn my attention to a break in the floor, which is flooded with water. I dive in and swim to another area of the cellar.

"Ah." This is what I've been looking for. A large, sealed door is painted with images similar to those in the fountain room. As I approach, demons burst through the walls and strike me without hesitation. The group lunges at me pilling on top of me. Weapons cut and hack at me from all directions. As I try to fend them off more seem to pour out of the cracks like cockroaches. Feeling overwhelmed I use the power of fire, setting them aflame. One by one they drop dead. Using the Reaver to unlock the sealed door, I enter the room, and there in the center is the last spear. I hurry back to the fountain room eager to see where this portal will take me.

As I make my way down the derelict hall of the mansion my mind flickers back to that woman. Her name had not slipped my mind, Michelle she said her name was. I could still see her face as clear as day, even when I close my eyes. I can see her beaming face; positive and optimistic. I could not help but feel her absence as I traveled through the dark forest. Flashbacks return to me of our short time spent together. She had been the only person I felt a sort of freedom. We had our differences at first, but she became one of the few people to be straight with me. Janos being the other. I found myself almost regretting my choice on the cliff side, but it does not matter now. Now she is dead and I have an important matter to attend to…

(Michelle)

This mansion is ridiculous, I swear I've been walking in circles. Who could possibly live here, honestly? Vampire of not, this is driving me crazy. I continue through a mess of halls and corridors. Feeling overwhelmed I take a break in one of the many rooms. I eat some of the food the villagers gave me. A few vegetables, home grown, and a salty dried meat. Almost like a jerky. It looks nasty but tastes amazing.

As I sit her enjoying my meal, I had gone so long without, I hear a noise coming from the hall. Curious and a little spooked, I walk over to the door and put my ear up to it. I can hear a deep rumbling voice talking in a strange language. There appears to be more than one. I creep the door open just a smidge to see who or what it is. It's those creatures and they appear to be looking for something, or someone. They say Raziel's name. Raziel is hear! Still, I had not missed him, thank god.

In the midst of my excitement I drop a fruit, one of the villagers gave me. Panicking I watch it roll up to those demons as they stare at it perplexed. I close the door quickly when they look in my direction. Bad move Michelle, bad move. Locking the door I frantically look for a hiding place or escape route. The demons in the hall start raddling the doorknob trying to open it. It goes silent.

BANG

"AHH!" great now they definitely know I'm in here.

BANG

BANG

BANG

I turn around and run over to the window frantically trying to open it. The door cracks behind me. I turn around to see a demonic hand break through the door, searching for the handle.

"Oh god, no, no, no, no, no." I heave on the widow's latch that's jammed in its slot. I grab a heavy candle stick and start smashing the latch. The latch comes lose and the widow flies open with a gust of wind. The demons smash through the door. I run onto a small balcony, frantically look for something, anything to get away from those things. There's a large glass greenhouse beneath me, if I jump the angle of the roof will break my fall. I hope.

I turn around and time seems to slow around me. I watch those demons race towards me in slow motion. I turn around and leap over the railing of the balcony. I hit the glass roof and slide down it and off the roof into a bush. Scraping my legs even more. I frantically try to get untangled from the foliage. I can hear the demons land on the roof of the green house, sliding down the glass. I rip myself from the bush and run down a pathway in the garden. I hear the demons scream out, and a commotion behind me. Things smashing, glass breaking. Panicking, I hear something coming up behind me as I run down the path. It's on a down slope, and I trip up rolling down the hill hitting a well. I put my hands up in front of me in defence.

A shadow looms over me. Whatever it is, it's just standing there, unmoving, waiting. Shaking, I slowly bring my arms down to see what it is, or rather who it is. The first thing I see are two very familiar feet. And I look into the eyes that burn into mine. I give him a relived yet irritated glance. I put my face back in the dirt feeling a little ridiculous. When I get up, I smack Raziel in the chest and attempt to snatch my bag out of his claws. I somehow lost it while running for my life. He dodges with ease.

"Not a chance." He looks smug. Obviously pleased with himself for me rescuing for the third time now.

"Don't I at least get a 'thank you, Raziel' that's three times now."

"What do you want? a pat on the head?" I say bitterly.

"Now give me my bag."

"You still haven't thanked me."

"You let me fall to my death down that slope!"

"Your death? You look like no apparition to me?" he crosses his arms.

"I would have been dead if it weren't for those villagers that recued me!" I try frantically to get my bag from him as he dodges left and right.

"I fail to see how it is my job to rescue you ever time you falter."

"I don't even think there is a man on earth that would be up to that task." Mouth agape, I shove him. He laughs at my pathetic attempt to rattle him.

"What, you want to fight me? Your puny and insignificant" I shove him some more, pounding him on the chest.

"haha, please your embarrassing yourself." I continue to shove him around the garden, as he watches in amusement. He finally has enough and grabs my arms, strongly. I frantically try to get lose from his grip, staring into his eyes in a fit of rage.

"I could snap your arms like a twig." He flexes my arms as if to break them. I scream out in pain and he lets go.

"Jerk."

"What did you expect to happen? I rescue your sorry ass three times and you can't put your pride aside for one thank you. You knew the risks in coming here, and if you didn't then you're more foolish than I imagined." He was right. I was being childish. I should depend more on myself.

"…your right. I've been careless and stupid." I struggle to belittle myself to him.

"But honestly I didn't expect to get this far, and, well, I couldn't have done it without you, so…thank you, Raziel." A grim satisfaction sweeps across his face, and I role my eyes.

"There see, now was that so hard?"

"can I have my bag back, now?"

"I had myself actually believing you had perished, I should have known better. You have more lives than a Cat." He hands me my bag. I brush leaves and dirt out of my hair.

"So…you missed me then, did you?" I flip my hair and wink at him. he shakes his head and brushes past me, heading down the path I fell down.

"Admit it, you grew use to me hanging around."

"Not likely." Using his ghostly blade, he snuffs out three scones that form a circle at the end of the pathway. The doorway slides open and Raziel proceeds inside. I follow, until he stops me with his hand.

"You can't come in here."

"We had a deal."

"I can't compromise this, it's far too important. You'll have to stay here."

"Fine, but I'm not going anywhere." I watch Raziel disappear into the catacombs. As if I'm staying out here by myself. When he's no longer in site, I sneak down the passage way. I can hear voices within, staying in the shadows I can see Raziel and a large nonhuman being sitting on a thrown. He has a long face, deep set eyes, and a long strong chin with spikes protruding out if it. Two at the base of his chin and two at the side. He has large bat like ears, yellow eyes and a mossy green skin. He's wearing a long, red v-neck cloak, with a white shirt underneath.

"So...our wretched little savior returns." His voice is deep and empowering.

"I did not come here to fight you, Vorador." Vorador? A name to note. I start my recorder once again.

"I don't think you know why you're here." He coldly corrects Raziel. Bring the sword up to his neck.

"I know that you have written my fate when you forged the Reaver, and as such only you can re-write it."

_"His fate?"_

"You give me too much credit."

"You forged the Reaver, I have seen the evidence." He drills Vorador. They continue to discuss this matter. They mention something about an ancient prophecy that will imprison their savior in the Reaver blade, which I take is Raziel? Savior for what?

"So…you have chosen your path?"

"I have chosen nothing" Raziel says with anguish.

"You seem too know what I am, tell me?"

"I thought I did once. But all the prophecies have failed. The pillars are corrupted, I am the last of my kind, and once Moebius's hunters find me, it will all be for nothing." The pillars? Corrupted? Vampire hunters? Prophecies? What on earth is going one here?

"You have forgotten about Kain?"

"Yes, Kain, he shoulders a greater burden then he realises. No matter, I cannot help you, even if I was inclined to. I may have crafted the Reaver blade instructed by my master. What sorcery was caste on it afterwards, I cannot say."

"Janos, tried to give me the Reaver before he died. He said it was forged for me, but what did he mean. As my weapon or as my prison?" Raziel imprisoned in the Blade, my heart sinks in my chest at the thought of losing him. I can feel my face burn red, what am thinking. He's a demon for Christ sakes. My mind shifts back to those villagers poking fun at me. I do not have romantic feeling for him! I shake my head in despair. Pull yourself together Michelle.

"Perhaps, you should ask him yourself."

"Janos is here." Another Vampire? Have I struck gold? The vampire Vorador waves his hand in front of a circular door. It opens and they step inside. I watch them round the corner and sneak up to the doorway, peaking around the corner. A curved stair way leads to the bowls of the crypt. I slowly make my way down the stairs careful not to trip. I'm pretty sure Raziel would not forgive me if I interrupted their conversation. I fear what Vorador would do.

(Raziel)

Deep within the depths of Vorador's secret hide out, Janos's body lay still on a platform garnished with candles. A lifeless husk of a wise man.

"The father of our race. The Sarafan tore his heart out of his living body five centuries ago."

"But, there is no sign of decay. How is this possible?"

"Somewhere the heart still beats. If it is recovered, Janos could be raised."

"And you haven't tried in all these years?"

"Many times, but they hid the heart to well. They took it to Avernus as a trophy centuries ago, christening it The Heart of Darkness. Believing it embodies the essence of our dark gift, they hid it away, less it fall into the wrong hands. Our hand."

Vorador had told me that in order to resurrect Janos from his deep slumber I have to first retrieve the Heart of Darkness. Now being held deep in the catacombs of Avenues Cathedral. If I want answers, my travels will take me there. It's not exceptionally far from Vorador's mansion. I'll have to hurry before the city is engulfed in flames. I exit the chamber that held Janos and leave the crypt to find my 'companion' waiting outside unexpectedly. Perhaps I have finally struck a cord with her.

(Michelle)

"So where are we headed?"

"Well, I am heading for Avernus Cathedral." He said as I follow behind him, until I hit into his arm.

"What makes you think you're coming with me?" he raises his eyebrow.

"May I" I say sarcastically. Putting my hands on my hips.

"No. We already discussed this. This is where we part ways."

"Why on earth can't I? I've been traveling with you this whole time, yet you are still as stubborn as ever."

"You'll get in my way."

"Oh please, when have I ever got in your way?" He turns around swiftly and shoots me a stunned glance.

"Are you serious? Do you really need me to count the times?" Okay so there was a lot of times. I slowed him down, but I can't travel alone. Those demons are out to get me, now that they know we travel together.

"Well I'm coming with you and there's nothing you are going to do about it."

"What makes you think I can't?"

"I didn't say that. I said there is nothing you are 'going**' **to do about it." I smirk at him.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Admit it, you like me."

"I can't stand you." He says with a matter of fact tone.

"Well you must like me just a little bit, otherwise you wouldn't have rescued me…three times was it?" He gives me a look, and I have to admit he has me a little intimidated. I bat my eyes at him.

"Is it my beautiful eyes, gorgeous smile, long flowing hair, voluptuous lips." I blow him a kiss.

He raises his brow "You're not conceited at all." I chuckle.

"Come on just a little bit." I squeak. He come in very close to me our faces only inches apart. His eyes burn into my soul and I can feel my cheeks turn red again as my heart quickens at our close proximity.

"You still owe me."

* * *

I do not own any Legacy of Kain caracters. I only own Michelle. Dialogue used from Legacy of Kain Defiance during raziels conversation with vorador.

thanks for reading.


	7. Avernus

**Chapter 7**

**Avernus Cathedral**

_Chapter Update: May 21, 2013._

* * *

_Sometimes I find myself thinking of home…_

_It's been so long since I've seen my family and friends. A week, if not more. I can't tell for sure. I miss everybody so much. My friends, my sister…even my father, as much as he wounded me. It hurts me to think that my family back home, haven't been thinking of me. Time stands still for them. When I go back home, I can set the time machine to take me back before I even left. Making it like I haven't been gone._

_It would be nice to be missed…_

We have been traveling for two hours, maybe more. Raziel hasn't even slowed down for me. He's at least 6 meters in front of me. I'm growing tired, my legs wobble as I walk. It's getting dark out and Raziel is getting farther and farther away.

"Wait for me!" I scream at him, out of breath. He turns around to face me.

"Go home!" then turns around and keeps walking.

"NO."

"Fine keep on walking! I'm camping here." I can't see him anymore. Loneliness creeps over me.

"I'll catch up to you! You'll!...see." anger bellows up inside me.

"STUPID JERK!" My voice echoes through the woods. Okay that felt good. I can't believe he just left me here…well, I can believe it, but still, jerk.

"Insensitive, ignorant, asshole." I kick the debris around to clear room for the fire.

"I'm cold, alone, and hungry. I'm glad he's so impervious! Arrogant, prick!"" When I turn around, I scream and fall onto my butt.

"How long were you standing there?"

"Long enough." He glares at me.

"What was the last thing you heard?"

"Arrogant prick."

"Oh, well, I'm not apologizing." I get up and brush past him feeling slightly embarrassed. He appears to have found humor in this. I'm glad he finds my misery so funny.

I was hoping there would be a stream, lake, or something so I can clean up. Unfortunately there isn't. I have to stay dirty for another day. This spot will have to do. I set up my things and start looking for firewood. I bend down to pick up a nice, large, dry piece of wood. It was perfect for firewood. I stand up and Raziel is right in front of me, making me jump out of my skin.

"Please stop doing that...before you give me a heart attack!"

"Maybe that's my intension." He says coldly.

"…What do you want?" I badger him. I have to take a breath before I say it, to keep myself calm and poised.

"No fire."

"Why not?"

"Do you want to be attacked in the middle of the night again? You should know by now that it only attracts more demons and other creatures...you're not very observant are you?"

"I'm going to freeze."

"Figure something out." He walks away. Even though I'm slightly irritated, this is probably the most civilized conversation we ever had. I'm proud of myself for keeping my cool. I have a tendency to let my temper get the better of me. Or, perhaps I like the thrill of an argument.

I drop the lumber and walk back to the campsite. Raziel is nowhere to be seen. It's getting darker and darker as time goes on. I can hardly see the trees around me anymore. No moon tonight, it's a cloudy evening. I get into my small sleeping bag, feeling slightly nervous. I wonder where Raziel is, maybe he left without me…

"Get up." I hear a voice say.

"Get up!" my eyes fly open and I see Raziel standing above me. I hadn't noticed I fell asleep. I must be getting use to sleeping in these strange conditions.

"We're leaving now." he's so impatient. I scramble around my campsite gathering my things in a hurry, as he starts walking. After all, He is doing me a huge favour. I thought he for sure ditched me last night.

"Where were you last night?" He doesn't answer me. This irritates me. I hate it when people ignore me.

"Would it kill you to answer me?" he doesn't turn around.

"Hurry up."

"Why are you in such a hurry?"

"That's none of your business."

"I'm traveling with you, which makes it my business too."

"My business is my own. You're lucky I'm even letting you tag along." He says bitterly

"That may be, but that doesn't exempt me form what's going on."

"Oh please."

"I heard you and Vor…" I stop in my tracks. Raziel wipes around, rage forming in his eyes.

"Wh, wh, wh, what I meant to say-"

"You, no good, scheming…"

"Now, now, let's not do anything rash."

"Do you have any idea what you could have done?!" He comes at me.

"Ahh! Raziel stop, you're scaring me!" I run around a tree, putting it between the two of us.

"When I get my hands on you!" playing a game of cat and mouse, I keep him on the other side of the tree as much as possible. But he's too fast and grabs my arm. I trip over a root, dragging Raziel down on top of me. Our bodies touch and I feel the wait of his body on mine. My face turns bright red, damn my dirty mind. He lifts himself off of me slightly to get a grip of himself. I need to do something fast, so I kiss him on the nose. His eyes widen in surprise.

"…You!" is all he can muster to say. I start giggling manically at his reaction.

"What's so funny?" He scowls at me.

"Hahaha, you should have seen your face!" My laughter echoes through the forest. He just sits there staring at me baffled as I enter a fit of laughter.

"You are a deceitful creature…" He shakes his head as he gets up. My giggling slowly subsides and I get up off the ground. I smile flirtatiously.

"We better get going, we're in a hurry remember." I walk past him looking into his eyes playfully.

(Raziel)

Something's changed in her. She appears more self-assured and less afflicted. In fact her overall attitude towards me has changed drastically since we've been traveling together. Much has changed since I first met her in the forest. Before I found her outlandish, awkward, and completely ridiculous. Now she mystifies me and I find myself unbelievably captivated by her. I even find myself enjoying her company…

I wouldn't normally allow such nonsense to continue. I have not yet discovered what it is about her I find so fascinating. Is it a nice distraction from my true endeavor? Or perhaps it is her genuine nature? It is refreshing, compared to the many devious encounters I have had in the past. Although she was reluctant to be honest in the beginning and disobeyed my wishes when meeting Vorador, it is obvious she means me no harm. Whatever it is, I'm sure I will discover in time…

(Michelle)

"So…you never answered my question."

"…What?"

"Where were you last night?" He looks at me ambivalent.

"…scouting a safe route ahead." I giggle under my breath.

"What now?" He shakes his head in an eye rolling motion.

"Nothing, nothing."

"If there's one thing I know about you, it's never nothing."

"…worried about me were you." I smile at him teasingly.

"Oh please, I was merely looking for a concealed path so I can enter Avernus unseen. Avernus is inflames, so I'm sure the citizens will be fleeing into the woods to escape the inferno."

"That was quite the explanation…did you plan that one out before hand."

"You might want to be kindlier towards me, I haven't forgotten about earlier."

"What? That I kissed you? I thought you would turn into a handsome prince." He glares at me bewildered.

"I can't believe some of the stuff that comes out of your mouth, and that's not what I meant."

"I know, I'm just playing with you." He looks at me grudgingly.

"Besides I didn't compromise your discussion with Vorador, so why does it matter?"

"I asked you to stay outside and you deliberately disobeyed me. You don't see the problem in that?"

"What am I your dog? Please get over yourself."

"Get over myself." He turns to me exasperated.

"You couldn't get over yourself once to do me one favour after I saved your life three times. Don't tell me to -"

"Okay, okay, okay, let's not do this."

"Oh. I'm sorry. Am I making you uncomfortable? Or have you realised how unbelievably senseless you are. "

"Senseless?! You're a male, chauvinistic, jerk!"

"And you're a pain in my ass!" my blood boils and I have to take three deep breaths to calm myself down. It's not worth arguing with an idiot, they'll only bring you down to their level and beat you with years of experience.

"Then why don't you carry on without me?"

"That's the thing with dogs, you get attached!"

"Oh you Arrogant, asshole!" blood starts pumping through my veins at an increased speed, fueling my anger.

"…where the hell are we going anyways?! Does it have something to do with _The Heart of Darkness_ and your destiny?" I say tauntingly. He stops in his tracks and turns slowly towards me with a frightening look in his eyes.

"What did you say…?" Than my mouth runs off on me, so much for calming myself down…

"That's why you travel with me isn't it. You're scared to enter the sword, so you waste your time with me like a coward, because you know your days are numbered." I cover my mouth with my hand trying to stop myself. His feverish eyes pour into my soul like the devil. He's going to kill me. I don't think I can kiss my way out of this one. I slowly start stepping back, as he walks towards me with the look of death in his eyes. His eyes start glowing a strange green, much like the demons that we ran into.

All of a sudden I hear shouting and screaming in the distance. A group of people are being escorted by soldiers through the distant trees, so much for Raziel's discreet path. He turns around to see what all the commotion is and I see my chance to escape. I slowly start backing up to distance myself farther from Raziel. A twig snaps and he turns around. We stare at each other, me in terror, and him in hatred. He turns around and stands there for a few seconds.

"Go home, we're done here. If I see you again I won't hesitate to kill you." then he heads for Avernus.

I sigh in relief. If it weren't for those people I fear what Raziel would have done to me. I watch him evade the group of citizens in the distance and contemplate what I should do from here. Perhaps I should head home? There's nothing for me in Avernus, especially after I compromised my relationship with Raziel. Besides, he made it ominously clear what he would do if he found me there. I should have a fair amount of research to share with my co-workers now anyways…

What am thinking, of course I'm going to Avernus. I shake my head. This is no longer about research. I need to know what's going on here. This is what I live for. Without Nosgoth, what would I have? Everything that drives me through life has to do with this place and my research. I'll have to be extra careful as to not be seen by Raziel. Otherwise I'll have nothing to show for my time here. I'll be dead...

I start walking towards Avernus. I can smell the smoke from here and as I get closer, I can see the smoke blowing through the trees. As I continue to walk I break the tree line. In the center of a valley is an immense cathedral surrounded by a blazing town. Avernus Cathedral is similar in style to Burgos Cathedral in Spain, but much larger. It still stands in my time and it will be interesting to see it in a younger form.

As I walk towards the burning town I wonder what Raziel's plans were for _The Heart of Darkness_. I read about resurrection in Vampire folklore. When I was a little girl, Every time my dad went overseas to Nosgoth for business, he would bring me home a new book. One of them I still use to this day. My favourite being a homage to Vampire folklore. The chapter on resurrection comes to mind at this moment. It said that a vampire's body would not decay if its heart were still beating.

This made me wonder about Janos. If Raziel was going to try and resurrect him, he will probably have to kill someone for it. I can hear people screaming as I get closer and closer to the town. People run past me when I get to the towns edge. They stare at me like I'm insane and I start to question my own insanity. I bring my bag up over my head as I enter the city. Fragments fall from the buildings as I hurry through the maze of homes and flames. I try to stay in line with the Cathedral as I race through…

(Raziel)

I make my way to the gargantuan building that towers above me by leaping from building to building, surrounding the Cathedral. The flames are swallowing the city at a rapid pace, so I have to move swiftly. I have no time to make sure she isn't following me, as I have no doubt that's what she is doing and had planned all along. Reflecting on what she had said to me, I wonder if there's is a bit of truth to it. In fact I'm almost curtain there's is.

I reach Avernus Cathedral and enter the buildings vaulted doorway. A cloak of darkness blankets this place, giving it a forbidden sense. It's vacant. The only sound being the constant howling of the wind escaping through the bottom of the doorway. I make my way to the far side of the cathedral. An attractive coffin with two angelic statues on either side is at the end of the hall. It appears to have once held a scripture of sorts. The sarcophagus gives off a strange energy. I believe I will first need to find the scripture missing before I can progress.

I begin my search through the vacant halls of the cathedral. Stain glass windows line the halls. Light from the raging fire beyond these walls lights up the walkway as I make my way through Avernus. Taking a staircase to the upper level, I enter a balcony above the cathedrals main entrance hall. There on an altar is a dark scripture resonating with a strange magic. I take the scripture and its mystic energy rings in my mind, it's almost maddening.

I leap over the edge of the balcony to the entrance hall below, and as my feet touch the ground, two priests run out from the halls to challenge me. They cast magic, summoning large brutish demons; I have seen them before. There large bulky bodies tower before me. Hooves scraping the ground in anticipation. One joins its hands together in a powerful grip and smashes the ground in front of me. I leap back to dodge the maneuver. A grin sweeps across its large, monstrous face. With twisted horns and flaming eyes. Using its giant horns it rams into me, sending me into a pillar that supports the balcony…

(Michelle)

I race through the town as wooden cross beams fall down in front of me blocking my path. As I choose a new root more seem to fall from every direction. The heat from the flames burns my skin and the smoke burns my eyes as I try to keep Avernus Cathedral in my sight. I round a corner and there is a clear path to the cathedral ahead of me. As I race for the arched doors, a building collapses in front of me.

"Damn it!" I look for another path, but I'm surrounded by flames. There's a small opening through the wreckage, but the flames are stopping me from crossing through. I take ten steps back and run towards the opening, leaping through the fire. I stumble onto the ground. My skin slightly charred, I pat the fire off of my legs and arms. More pieces fall from the building almost falling on top of me. I race for the doors to the cathedral.

I heave on the door and It slowly creeks open. I fall onto the floor in exhaustion. The cool surface is a relief from the flames I had just endured, but my bliss is cut short, as I hear a commotion in front of me. I look up and I see Raziel fighting these horrible monsters. Their appearance is similar to the Minotaur, but their faces are less like a bull and more human like. Their eyes burn a bright orange and they have teeth like a lion. Two curved horns decorate their head and four large spikes protrude from their backs.

One hammers into Raziel sending him flying in my direction. I scramble for a hiding place, and race for one of the pillars that line the hall. He hasn't seen me yet, as he's much too distracted with the giant beasts that challenge him. I watch him leap off of one of the pillars and land on the back of one of the creatures with impressive acrobatics. He uses that ghostly blade and spears it through the skull. The beast's eyes go dead and it falls to the ground and disappears, but just as it fades away, another is summoned before him.

The fiend breaths in deep and lets out a fire breathe at Raziel. He uses the power from the sword to blow the fire off of him long enough to escape. It looks hopeless, until I notice two priests that appear to be casting a spell of some kind. Perhaps I can assist him without being seen, somehow? I sneak from pillar to pillar while Raziel keeps those things busy. I reach the end of the hall where one of the priests is standing casting his magic. I watch as Raziel kills another demon.

The priest in front of me starts moving his hands around to cast another creature for Raziel to fight. I look around to find something, anything to stop him, but I'm too late. Another demon rises in front of the priest and he steps back to give it room. He's so close to me, if I can find a way to stop him I would be doing Raziel a huge favour. A metal torch rests on the wall across from me. If I can get to it without being seen, perhaps I can use it.

I wait until Raziel faces away from me and I run to the torch hanging on the wall. When I try to pull it off it doesn't release. I try to push up on it to unhook it, but it doesn't budge. I hear one of the creatures smash the ground behind me, sending an earthquake through the Cathedral. I lose my balance falling on to my butt, and the torch lands on my lap. I turn around in time to see Raziel come flying towards me, sliding across the ground.

I scurry up against the wall and huddle into a ball, praying he doesn't turn around and see me. He gets up and sprints towards the demons without fear or hesitation. I can't help but admire his courage and I start to feel bad about insulting him and calling him a coward. I couldn't have been more wrong about him. I sit hear watching Raziel in awe as he fends off the beasts with tremendous strength and agility. I shake my head to snap out of my daze and run back to the pillar I was hiding behind.

The priest is standing a few feet away from me now and I reach the torch out to light his robe one fire. It takes a minute or so but it finally catches. I watch as the flame slowly climbs up his gown until he finally realises he's on fire. He starts to panic, running around the room as the fire engulfs him. Haven't they heard of stop, drop, and roll? The priest falls to his knees and onto his stomach as the flame consumes him. I just killed a man…

One of the demons goes to head-butt Raziel, who grabs onto its horns and stabs it in the eye. It roars and tries to grab him, but he dodges its attempts. As the creature roars in detest Raziel uses the Reaver to stab the creature in the throat and through its skull. It falls to the ground and disappears in a burst of flames and smoke; like it was returning to another realm. This time it doesn't return. Just as I thought, the priests are the source. Raziel realises this too and goes after the other priest, who's no match for him. His magic only lasts so long and he kills him off.

Raziel turns his attention to the other beast, who steps towards him excepting his challenge. With one powerful fist the creature hammers down on top of Raziel, who catches the demon's fist before it can crush him. I stare on, mesmerize by his strength. He uses his prowess to throw the demon onto the ground, cutting the creatures hand off with no remorse or elation. It cries out in agony and he jumps onto its upper body and spears it through the chest. The demon burns and disappears into a realm beyond my comprehension. Before Raziel can spot me I hide behind one of the pillars once again awaiting his next move…

(Raziel)

Finally I can return that scrip to the sarcophagus and relieve myself from its maddening enchantment. When I returned the dark scripture to its rightful resting place a portal appears in front of the coffin. I don't know what secrets I am about to discover when I pass through the gateway. I enter the vortex eager yet hesitant to what lies ahead.

I make my way through the dark underground of this strange new place. Could this place truly be the source of all corruption within the circle? Painted on the walls of this undercroft is a familiar story. This time it is told from the opponent's point of view. It appears that this race refused to submit to the wheel of fate and for their refusal they were banished. The vampires were thus cursed with immortality, bloodlust, and sterility. How ironic.

As I continue through the corridor I come across an image of the banished races hero. With flaming eyes and a fire sword. My resemblance to this hero does not seem accidental. It seems the more I discover the more questions I have. For the vampire clan also has a hero, of which I was told I represented by Janos. What game is this? Was each race claiming the same pawn?

"So Raziel, your true nature is finally reveal. It is to the Hylden race you belong. You were never the vampire saviour. What do you think Kain will do when he finally realises this." I have no way of knowing what Kain will do, but this new information would surly challenge his knowledge. And my affiliation with the Hylden race could be detrimental to his cause. One thing is for sure Kain cannot be trusted…

(Michelle)

I walk slowly, stepping quietly towards the strange swirling vortex. When I get within a few feet of it, I can feel it pulling me in. I decide quickly, and jumped into the portal as it transports me to another area. When I open my eyes I start to wish I never came here. It has a certain insanity about it. I follow the path through the dark undercroft hearing strange chanting and talk of a blood sacrifice to some creature their worshipping. What have I gotten myself into this time?

I take a few pictures of the mysterious murals that decorate the walls. I wonder what they mean and if Raziel would know anything about them. The chanting stops as I near an opening in the cavern. A large circular clearing with chains hang down into a large circular pit. Obviously carved out of the ground by man. Raziel is nowhere to be found. As I approach the pit I hear a group of worshipers coming my way. I hide behind one of the pillars that hold up the roof to the cavern.

As I wait for the priests to pass, I take time to examine the pit I stand inches away from. I could hear noises below, but a dusty fog obstructs my view. Raziel must be down there, as I can hear a commotion going on. I have no way to get down the pit though and frankly I don't want to know what was keeping Raziel company. I take a few pictures of the area I'm in. A red hue plagues this place. I sneak around the area trying to get a better look down the pit, but its no use. Suddenly the commotion stops as I make my way back around the pit, I can hear a man talking to someone in the distance. His voice echoes through the corridor.

Then I hear a familiar, alluring voice. I sneak up towards the voices and I can see Raziel talking with a man. He's talking about the binding being fragile, what binding? He says Raziel is too late for something. The man becomes possessed by a demon and confirms what the man had said to Raziel. It talks about toppling the pillars and getting revenge. Is that what this is all about, the pillars? The demon claims its host is growing weak and departs. Raziel questions this man about_ The Heart of Darkness._ He tells him he is to late once again and that the heart is serving its function. He tells him that he used the heart to create the champion foretold to be Raziel's destroyer. He mentions that the Scion of Balance would save Nosgoth and return the pillars to Vampire guardianship, casting Raziel's race down forever. So this has to do with the ownership of the pillars? Yet they hint at something more.

They continue to talk about the pillars. He talks about how he and a man named Moebius over through the vampire race to seize control over the pillars. They viewed the vampire race as a plaque. He mentions that the pillars were holding something back and that Kain will restore balance to the land. Raziel questions him about the Heart again. The man laughs and tells him that he can't use the heart so long as Kain guards it with his life. Raziel realises that the heart wasn't just used to create Kain, it serves as his functioning heart. The man gets possessed once more and says the long awaited hour approaches, they will soon be release. Just what is it that's going to be unleashed on Nosgoth?

The force releases the man and he falls back into his chair, disappearing before my eyes. Raziel looks disappointed with this outcome, as if he felt responsible. He clenches his fists in anger. I decide to leave before him. I don't want him to find out I've been here this whole time. He's looking a little testy. Plus, I don't want the portal to close me in here for all eternity. I sneak through the door and run down the twisted hallways. The portal is still open and I leap through and onto the other side. I hear somebody enter the cathedral and I hide behind the coffin at the end of the hall. Raziel must have come through the portal as well, since I hear him address the person.

"Kain, why is this no surprise." It's Kain, the person they were just speaking of and the vampire that ordered Raziel's destruction. I could feel the adrenalin pulsing through my veins as the tension ripples through the air. All I could do is listen now, only a little bit excited to discover more secrets.

"Because Raziel, our destinies run together like to rivers that have met and can never be distinct again. At your every fatal turn, you will find me."

"And the free will you said I possessed, what has become of that!"

"You still have it, and that has everything to do with my presence hear now."

"It was your machinations that have set my destiny in motion. The coin you tossed has struck the earth and now you have to abide by the outcome." Raziel sounds heated and deceived.

"The coin is still turning Raziel. But to reach the resolution we both can live with and will best serve our futures, Janos Audron must not be raised."

"Because you do not wish it. Is my free will only to be exercised when it accords to your whim?"

"There is much more at stake here then you know."

"Yes, and it is Janos who has the answers I desire!"

"You must trust me Raziel, for Nosgoth, for our futures, are not so diverse." I listen on mesmerized.

"I must trust you? Or?" I peak around the side of the coffin to see whats going on. I can feel Raziel's rage surging.

"I have not come here to make threats."

"And you say this while you hold in your hand the instrument of my doom." Kain sheaths his blade in an attempt to calm Raziel.

"I have saved you from the Reaver before. I have no intention of imprisoning you in the blade."

"At least not until it serves your plans to do so." I feel pity for Kain. Having argued with Raziel myself he can be unbelievably stubborn.

"You are not the only one at risk here. I may carry the instrument of your destruction, but I, too, have taken a chance in coming her. Or haven't you realised? You bear the only weapon that can kill me."

"So you know who I am? And who you are?"

"I believe I do."

"And you still think you can move me about like your pawn. Well, think again Kain." Raziel swipes at Kain with the Wraith blade, who steps back apprehensively. Kain tries to persuade Raziel to stop, but he won't listen. At first he refuses to fight him but sees no other way to talk sense into Raziel. I start to wish I hadn't come in here…

"Very well, if this will make you see reason." Kain unsheathes the blade and walks towards Raziel ready for battle.

* * *

I do not own Legacy of Kain or its characters. I only own Michelle.

Dialogue from legacy of Kain Defiance. Reference at nosgoth. net


	8. Truth Behold

**Chapter 8**

**Truth Behold**

_Update Chapter: May 26__th__, 2013_

* * *

Raziel flew across the room, hitting the wall, landing beside me hiding helpless behind the stone altar. He looks at me, first in surprise and then in blind rage.

"You..." he clenches his fist in anger.

All I can do is plaster a Cheshire grin across my face, shrugging my shoulders slightly. His claws dig into the ground and his head twists in Kain's direct. He soon disappears from my sight and I can hear him and Kain continue their skirmish. I'm surprised that he kept my presence here a secret. I thought for sure he would not hesitate to expose me, after I ran my mouth off at him in the woods.

I can hear them fighting in the background. There relentless battle cries and the constant sound of things crashing to the floor. My self-control is running thin and my curiosity is taking over. I turn around and face the sarcophagus, slowly raising my head above the altar, just enough to see what's going on. This is the first time I have seen this ominous Kain figure, which I had heard so much about.

He's quite unhuman, much like Vorador. He's very tall and muscular, with long white hair and a red banner draped over his right shoulder. He must be well over six feet tall, it's hard to tell from where I am. I could only judge by the height of Raziel, being a bit less than a head shorter than Kain. I assume Raziel is close to six foot, because I myself am about five foot five. Raziel is a head taller than myself.

Raziel dodges Kain's attacks with ease, but Kain stays constant. He analyzes Raziel's moves with effortless precision. Raziel uses speed and agility, while Kain uses strength and intelligence. It seems like Kain knows every one of Raziel's maneuvers. He's lucky to get a shot in. Kain pulls Raziel towards him with some kind of telekinetic power and lacerates him with his sword. At this point, I find myself worried for his life, as the fight does not seem to be in his favor.

Raziel lays on the floor and slowly picks his injured body off the ground. Kain makes another attempt to convince Raziel to not raise Janos Audron, and to keep the heart hidden. Interesting, He must not know that he possesses the heart. Raziel sounds bemused when he comments on Kain's ignorance to the whereabouts of the heart. Kain takes no interest, and could care less if the heart is found. Raziel, being just as stubborn as ever, ignores his pleas. I suspect that Kain has no intensions of harming Raziel and is merely trying to help his cause. If Raziel weren't such a blind idiot he would see that.

Raziel starts rambling, completely ignoring anything that Kain has to say. He charges at him and they both hit heads. Each holds the others arm to stop each other's attacks. Then something strange happens. It's almost as if Raziel's life is being drawn out of his body. Kain seems just as surprised. Raziel's astonishment turns to blind rage and Kain tries to deny any involvement in this strange occurrence. Raziel ignores this and plunges his left hand through Kain's chest, ripping out his heart. I have to look away to save my stomach.

"Woe to the conquered, for I have found the heart of darkness - and you go to oblivion." Raziel uses his own power to send Kain flying into the vortex. He quickly snaps out of his blight, staggering back a few steps. Almost as if he can't believe what he just did? He gasps for air as whatever possesses him vanishes.

All I could do is stare in complete shock. Raziel shoots a cold glance in my direction and I duck behind the altar, waiting for my long deserved beating. I listen has I hear him approach the altar piece. He now stands beside me, glaring with the heart still beating in his cold rigid hand. I stood up to face him.

"You didn't honestly believe I would turn around and go home did you?" he stares at me, fists clenched. The heart still beating in his right hand.

"…" Okay he's pissed.

"I warned you about coming here. Yet you continue to test the limits."

"Look, I'm sorry. I'll just take my things and go."

"Oh I don't think so…" He starts walking towards me with ill intent.

"Okay, what I said to you was awful and unjustified and-."

"…"

"..You're obviously not a coward." I state looking at the heart in his hand. I move around the altar, putting it between us.

"…"

"All I can say is how unbelievably sorry I am for what I said. You made me mad and I got carried away." Raziel continues to pursue me. I attempt to shuffle back a few steps, but I trip going down the small set of stairs and ended up on my ass, once again.

"Ouch…" He stops at the base of my feet looking down at me with an eyebrow raised in pitiful surprise.

"…hmhmhm." He chuckles, I look up at him surprised.

"What?"

"I do intimidate you after all." He says this as he turns to exit the cathedral. He looks as though he finds great amusement in this.

"Oh…my god!" I march after him in rage.

"Okay, so after witnessing you ripe a guy's heart out of his chest in cold blood – yeah I'm a little frightened." Raziel continues along the hall to the doors ahead, ignoring my banter.

"But, you most certainly do not intimidate me!" He makes a movement that suggests he's rolling his eyes. He finally reaches the door and puts his hand out to stop me from following him. I put my hands on my hips and frown at him.

"If you think you're coming along this time, you can forget it."

"Raziel, I'm sorry, okay. I can't take back what I said. Please don't leave me here…"

"I'm already doing you a huge favour in sparing your life. So, rot here and forget we ever met."

"You don't mean that…"

"Oh? Is that so? You claim to know a great deal about me." I look at him sincerely.

"We'll, I honestly don't know very much about you at all, which is why I want to come with you. I live for Nosgoth and to unravel its amazing history. It has captured my imagination since I was a little girl. And the truth is, you're the only - probably the best, source of information I have. Without you I wouldn't have made it this far. In fact, I would probably be dead…you're the only friend I have." He looks at me, an expression I had not yet seen before. Is this empathy, guilt, understanding? I'm not quite sure. I suppose this is one thing we definitely have in common. We are both completely alone.

"Ahh, Michelle. I'm merely trying to spare you the disappointment. It's getting far too dangerous for you to come along. There are far more things at stake here then you realise." I look at him in bewilderment.

"What did you say?"

"What?"

"Say that again."

"I'm merely trying to spare you?-"

"No, no. Before that." I smile mischievously. Raziel glares at me when he realises my intent.

"…Michelle."

"Again." I put my hand to my ear.

"Michelle." He humours me.

"Oh, that has a nice ring to it. That's the first time you used my name."

"What of it?"

"What do you mean? You've never called me by my actual name before."

"…And?"

"And, that means you consider me someone of importance."

"How so?" He challenges my statement.

"Before you did nothing but belittle, and dehumanize me. Now you're calling me by my name. You don't see the significance in that?"

"Whatever. If you're coming, you're going to start pulling your wait around here-." He says this as he puts his hand on the door.

"I'm the only one pulling their wait around." I added shifting my backpack, aggravated.

"-Which means, you are going to have to carry this." He lifts his hand holding the heart. Blood drops off, hitting the floor making small spattering sounds. I start to feel sick.

"No way! You can forget it." I try to push his hand away.

"We'll you made your decision." He turns and starts to pull the door open. I stood there in silence with my arms crossed over my chest. Staring at him with a certain sinister bite.

"So what, that's it." He turns to look at me.

"What? Have you changed your mind?" He lifts his hand suggestively. I walk up to him and look him in the eyes.

"It's your heart, you carry it! There's nothing stopping me from coming with you."

"Oh, that's where you're wrong." He uses his telekinetic power to force me back a little ways. I stare at him in complete shock. I get up and head back towards him and the door. He forces me back again and I get back up and try again. This time he gets me in a hold. I try to fight it with all my strength, but to no prevail. He uses more power this time and sends me all the way down the hall and closes the door behind him. I get up and race for the door. When I pull it open, Raziel's standing right there. I jump a little in surprise.

"Are you mad woman? I'm not one of your human companions, so stop following me like a pitiful dog!"

"I know. That's why I like you…" I smile at him impishly.

"Ah! What have I done to deserve such torment…?" He drops his hands and looks to the sky in torture.

"Is this some terrible purgatory?"

"We'll you did just rip a man's heart out of his chest…"

"He was a Vampire. Does that make a difference to you?"

"Not really."

(Raziel)

Just who is this girl? Are the women in her time completely insane? She seems to find pleasure in our discourse. No matter how hard I try to rid myself of her, she keeps coming back. She's relentless. Not to mention, most humans would have celebrated Kain's destruction. Yet, she seems to be troubled by it. There is much I don't understand about her…

"There's no convincing you is there?"

"Nope. Now, can I please come with you?" Why is it so hard for me to say no to her?

"Fine, but if you get in my way or fail to comply with my wishes, we're through. Do we have an understanding?"

"…Yes." She struggles to submit. I have a feeling I will come to regret this…

(Michelle)

It seems he has finally came to realize that I was going nowhere anytime soon. He turns around and continues through the town. I stand here, quietly smirking to myself. I won this round…for now.

He leaps up on a roof to evade the flames. Sweat pours from my brow and I start to feel nauseous. I hadn't realised how unbelievably hot it was. As my adrenalin subsides I become painfully aware of the heat from the flames. My mouth is so dry and the sounds around me begin to muffle, as if someone had put their hands over my ears. I look up at Raziel staring down at me puzzled. I start to see two of him, now three…four…

(Raziel)

I watch her body go limp as she falls to the ground. The flames are far too much for her to handle. Sometimes I forget how fragile the human body is. I look at the heart in my hands and back at her lifeless body. If I don't hurry to Vorador's mansion, Moebius's vampire hunters might discover Janos's body in the crypt. I try to move along, but compassion gets the better of me.

I leap down to Michelle lying motionless on the ground, putting the heart in her luggage. With both arms I lift her off the ground and leap back up to the building. I can feeling it creaking and shifting below my feet. I run and leap to the next one, which gives out under our combined weight. We fall inside the burning building. She lands on a floor lower then myself and I can see the floor giving out underneath her.

I vault over the edge of the railing and grab her before she falls into the inferno below. She's a magnet for trouble. How she has not perished yet is beyond my comprehension. Holding her in my arms, I jump out of a nearby window and roll onto solid ground. Slightly relieved, I turn to see the roof of another building falling towards us.

I jump out of the way just in time and race down the street, maneuvering around the wreckage. If I stay down here, it will be less precarious than the rooftops. Our weight combined is too much for the weakened structures. I feel her shifting in my arms and I look down to see her look softly up at me.

"…Michelle?" her eyes close. She's still alive for now, but I fear if I stay here any longer she will succumb to the heat and smoke. The edge of the town is in my sight. Jumping up onto a sturdy building I can see out into the landscape. I try to get my bearings and figure out the best route to Vorador's Mansion. I head west out of the town.

As I leave, a light rain picks up. I doubt it will have any effect on the monstrous flames that consume the settlement. I jump up onto a small ledge and look out over the town as a deluge washes the land of its filth. The town is cloaked in a slight haze, with the sun setting in the background. I wonder if Nosgoth will ever be restored to its former beauty.

After a while of carrying her through the woods, I come across a small stream. Laying her down I try to wake her. She's still breathing so I know she's not dead. "Michelle?" She doesn't move, or show any signs of coherence. I splash some water on her face and her head falls to the side. It's no use…

I pick her back up and wade into the water, partly immersing her in the stream. After a few minutes she winces in displeasure. Her eyes open slightly, trying to make sense of her surroundings. She finally looks up at me, dazed and confused.

"…"

"…Raziel, you…?"

"Yes." She smiles faintly. I slowly release my hold on her and she struggles to stand…

(Michelle)

My legs are weak. The cool water is a huge relief. We walk back to shore in silence, but Raziel doesn't stop walking. I look around and we're in the woods just beyond Avernus. I struggle to keep up with him, even though he walks at a slow pace.

"What happened…?" His head turns slightly in my direction, but says nothing

"Last thing I remember we were in the Cathedral. No, wait. We were leaving. I passed out…you carried me to safety?"

"Don't get the wrong idea. You're still a major pain in my ass." I laugh under my breath.

"Admit it, you care about me." I tease.

"Hardly." I start to feel nauseous again. I slump to the ground feeling dizzy.

"Uhh." My ears start to ring, terribly.

"What are you doing? We have to move quickly. Get up."

"Oww." I cover my ears with my hands, but it's no use.

"…Michelle? What's the matter?"

"Ahh, this ringing in my ears!"

"If there's nothing wrong with your legs than you can keep moving." I try to get up but my legs deceive me. Raziel continues onward.

"Raziel…?"

"Ahhh! What now!"

"My legs won't move…"

"What do you mean your legs won't move? Just move them!" He watches pathetically as I attempt to get up, then he comes over to my side and helps me to my feet. He holds my arms to keep me steady and mine grasp his. We stand here while I get control of myself. I come to realise our close proximity and the grip of his hands on my arms. There's so big compared to mine. His claws wrap all the way around my forearms. I slowly look up to meet his gaze. We stare into each other's eyes briefly before I look away shyly, letting go of him.

"Thank you, Raziel?" I step away, self-conscious. He looks at me puzzled.

"We should get moving, Right?" I hurry on ahead and he follows hesitantly. He obviously notices my strange behaviour. I don't know what's wrong with me. He's a demon and I'm getting feelings. No this is not happening. I refuse to let this. Shake it off Michelle, shake it off. I start shaking my head, my body, and hands.

"What are you doing?" I jump slightly, I forgot he was there. I went into my own little world there for a moment. What's happening to me? I turn to see him looking at me humorously.

"Nothing, let's just keep moving…one sec." I walk towards the stream and splash water in my face and through my hair. Filling up my water bottle, I look at my reflection. I look awful. I wish I could have a hot shower right about now. It's starting to get a bit chilly in the rain. I get up and join Raziel, as we continue through the forest in silence.

(Raziel)

It's only been an hour and my patients is running thin from her constant complaining._ "Slow down, I need to reset" _Her winning is never ending. Forget the Reaver Blade, I'm slowly descending into madness just listening to her.

"You know, I'm glad that you can walk days on end without any kind of sleep or rest, but I can't."

"You're following me. If you can't keep up that's your problem."

"Oh shut up! You said I could come. I should have recorded you."

The moon is glowing bright and full and Michelle is falling farther behind. _"Wait!" _I wonder if the heart will have the power to raise Janos. I hope my voyage has not been for nothing. _"Raziel!"_ I had sacrificed Kain's life and forsaken so much to get here. _"Raziel please wait!" _I would love to abandon her here and continue my journey alone, but I can't bring myself to do it.

"Hey!"

"What do you want, Women?!" I turn around and she's walking in an ungraceful manner. I stop, waiting for her to catch up.

"Slow down! I'm dying here!"

"I wish." I say under my breath.

"I heard that."

"Good!"

"You know, you don't have to be an arrogant prick!"

"Don't you have any other insults? Arrogant prick is getting old."

"How about, Smug Jackass, or Ignorant manipulative asshole."

"All right." Smart ass women.

"Can we please find somewhere to rest…please? I'm so tired."

"Fine, but we're not staying long." What's becoming of me, bending to her every will? I find myself powerless to escape her pleading eyes.

I let her lead on from here. She knows what she's looking for after all. We came to a spring in the middle of the woods. This seems to please her significantly. She turns and looks at me.

"This is perfect, we can stay here. I feel disgusting." She stares at me, waiting for some kind of response.

"Are you just going to stand there gawking?"

"Make it quick." She turns and starts undressing behind some bushes.

"And I better not catch you spying on me, like last time."

"Oh please, I was not spying on you."

"Hey, I'm just saying, you came from those bushes awful fast. Considering you were supposed to be at the camp site."

"If it weren't for me that night you would have been dead. You fail to remember that." She ignores my verbal joust and looks at me mischievously.

I left the location, scouting the area. It seems innocuous for now. I climb a nearby tree that looks out over her pitch. I just catch a glimpse of her silhouette as she dives under the water. My eyes and body are fixed on their current position. Before, I am hypnotized further, I close my eyes and duck around the other side of the tree before she can see me. I would never hear the end of it. Darkness cloaks the land. The only light now comes from her fire. I don't know why she insists on attracting unwanted attention. Maybe I'll just let them have her this time.

(Michelle)

I finish washing up quickly. I still have to get some sleep, but I don't want to keep him waiting too long. I look around the area, scouting for any sign of Raziel. I don't see him though. I thought for sure I caught a glimpse of him in one of the trees, while was bathing. I jog out of the spring feeling completely exposed, grabbing my towel off a tree branch. I dress myself and walk back to my fire. Raziel is sitting at the base of the tree and we exchange glances. I'm happy he didn't desert me.

"So how come you came down from your tree…seen enough." I say cheeky. He looks at me but completely disregards my comment.

"Here I though you deserted me."

"Keep up those comments and I will."

"You take things so personally, you know that."

I settle myself into my cozy sleeping bag. I lay on the cold ground thinking about how I've been treating Raziel lately and realize I could be a lot nicer. Not that he was friendly with me, but he did save my life on several occasions. I turn to him.

"…Raziel?"

"What." He adds coldly.

I realize I haven't asked him any questions since we departed Avernus. I have so many, but I doubt he's going to answer any of them

"umm…" I contemplate whether I should ask him about Avernus, but decided against it.

"…Never mind…good night." He makes a movement, but as soon as I close my eyes, I feel myself drifting from consciousness.

_"…till tomorrow."_

_I look deep into Raziel's blazing eyes, unsure of our whereabouts. Nor do I care. All I can feel is this moment. Spellbound by the endless glow of white-blue. I can feel his cold hands on my skin. Is this a dream, it feels so real? "Michelle." He pulls me closer, my skin against his. He brought one of his hands up and gently runs the back of his fingers down the side of my face, brushing my hair behind my ear. I close my eyes and put my hand on his. I speak his name, softly. Our faces come closer and our noses touch. "Michelle…wake up" I open my eyes in surprise, but Raziel is gone and I'm surrounded by darkness. I can still hear him…now whispering my name. "…Michelle."_

"…_..Michelle…wake up!"_

My eyes swing open and I sit up in a start. Sweat pouring down my face in alarm. I look around and Raziel is standing beside me. I jump a little in surprise. I slide my hand down my face. _What a dream…_

"God damn it…"

"What?" He looks at me concerned.

"Oh, haha, nothing." Im sure my face is turning an interesting shade of red.

"Hurry, you slept far too long."

"I'm up, I'm up."

It's still dark out. I wonder what time it is. I must have got a few hours of sleep. I still feel exhausted. I get up and start packing my things away. Raziel is looking around, he seems anxious and it's making me nervous.

"What's wrong?" He turns to me.

"Nothing, just hurry."

"Well, can you stop looking around like that? You're making me nervous…"

When I finish packing, Raziel tells me to hurry again looking around the forest and then at me. What's making him so uneasy? He starts walking fast into the woods when I finish packing, so I pick up the pace.

"What's going on?"

"Quiet!" he says, half whispering.

"I thought you said there was nothing to worry about." He shoots me and irritated look.

"…"

"Tell me what's going on, I -." Before I can continue my sentence, Raziel's hand clamps over my mouth like a vice. His hand almost wraps around my entire head._"_

_"Quiet! We need to move sensibly. I don't much care to meet the soldiers in the woods with us now, do you hear me." _I can only nod slightly.

Now I understand and I'm slightly relieved to know that it's nothing that will harm me, persay. Raziel lets go of my face and grabs my hand, moving us through the woods swiftly. So it was coming from behind us? We start running, as I can hear the marching of feet. I can feel my heart pounding to the beat of their thundering steps. Raziel is trying to run at my pace. Constantly looking back at me with a sense of urgency.

It's hard to run with a backpack on. Not to mention looking out for roots and sticks, of which I keep tripping over. Luckily I haven't fallen yet. Raziel seems to be getting impatient with me. I can't blame him. I'm running much slower than he's capable of. The army that is fallowing behind us is getting closer and closer. Then it finally happens, I trip and end up face first in the dirt.

Raziel - fed up with me, picks me up in his arms. I wrap my arms around his neck and he races through the thicket. I don't know what to do or where to look, so I sit awkwardly, this is embarrassing. But, I have to admit, I do like it. I've never been so close to him before other than in my dream. Oh god my dream! My face flushes once again and my whole body goes stiff. I take a short glance up at his face; it was so concentrated and alert. He looks down at me and I withdraw my glance. I look at the woods behind us, I can't see any more movement

"Raziel…I don't see them anymore." He looks down at me then behind us, as best he can. His face is right next to mine, almost touching. This reminds me of when we first met in the woods, when I dropped my eraser. I was almost as close to his face as now. He stops running and looks around frantically. Then he leaps into a tree. I let out a little shriek.

We were well hidden by the branches and lush green leaves. He holds me against his chest. His one free hand covering my mouth tightly. I can hear them marching below us. My heart quickens with every step. I look down slowing as not to alarm Raziel. More of them pass underneath us. It was never ending. Where could they possibly be going?

After a few more minutes of hiding in the trees, the Army finally passes. There must have been a few hundred, maybe more? Raziel releases his hand from my mouth. When he is sure they have all passed, we drop to the ground smoothly. He places my feet back on the ground, but his hands linger on my waist. My hands on his chest as we watch the crusaders disappear into the foliage.

I soon become aware of our current position. I look at him with a sense of hilarity at the fact that he has no idea. He's looking around, probably to make sure the coast is clear. I stand here trying to think of a witty remark, but came up empty handed.

"So…are they gone?" He looks down at me and I watch as he becomes aware. He lifts his hands quickly off my waist and steps back a little apprehensively. Try not to laugh but its no use. Then I enter a state of panic. I had almost forgotten where we were going and about the heart. It is not in his hands and I start to freak out.

"Where is it!" he looks at me confused.

"Where's, what?"

"The heart, where is the heart!" I start panicking, looking all over the ground. I'm not sure why I cared so much about the damn thing. As far as I'm concerned this is stupid.

"You have it." I look up at him baffled.

"No I don't." He looks amused by something.

"Yes, you do." He looks suggestively at my bag. My eyes grow wide. I scream and toss my bag at him.

"Take it out! Take it out right now!" He laughs quietly to himself.

"I'm glad you find this so funny, but I don't!" he rolls his eyes and retrieves it from one of the compartments.

"When did you put it in there, I didn't even see you do it." He raised his eyebrow.

"You passed out, remember."

"Gahhh, how could you do that!?"

"And you said I take things personally." I look at him astonished, I didn't even think he had a sense of humor.

"You're sick, do you know that."

"Oh please, where else was I going to put it. In my pocket?" He adds sarcastically.

"Cute…" I look at him unamused.

We start walking, once again. I decide to let it go, he could have left me in that inferno. Ridding himself from me for good. But, he chose not to. I'm not too sure what that means. Well, whatever it may be, I'm glad to be here with him. We make eye contact as we walk. He looks to be contemplating something. Sometimes I think he's always trying to figure me out. I smile at him and he looks at me bemused.

(Raziel)

She's a strange creature. I seem to be growing attached to my human companion. Much like her, I find myself enjoying our exchange. Although, I'm continuously worrying about her wellbeing and its driving me insane. What sets her apart from other humans? There's really nothing extraordinary about her. Yet, her willingness to except me is fascinating. She looks in my eyes without a flicker of fear, or hesitation. When she embraces me with her warm touch, I get an indescribable feeling…

"So…who was the creepy dude in the red cloak and black hair?"

"How did you…?" Had she followed me into the depths of Avernus unseen? Perhaps I have been underestimating her. Her bravery surprises me at times. I doubt any normal human would have dared to enter that portal willingly.

"Mortanius is the guardian of the pillar of death."

"What do you mean?" Could she really know so little? I might as well explain some of the history to her as we travel to Vorador's mansion. I know how it feels to be denied the answers one seeks with such dedication. She has proven her devotion to her cause after all…

"...Very well, I'll give you the answers you seek."

* * *

I do not own legacy of Kain or it's characters, only Michelle.


	9. Tranquility

**Chapter 9**

**Tranquility**

_Chapter Update: June 3, 2013._

* * *

It's mid-morning and the forest is humid and damp. Small flowers have gathered droplets on each peddle. I can hear the far off singing of small songbirds hidden within the forests trees. This is truly a site to be remembered. It's the small things that can pick you up to carry on. I walk here, lost in the forests peaceful tranquility. Watching Raziel, walking in front of me. His tattered wings blow in the winds gentle caress. He turns slightly, almost impatient with my meandering.

"Hurry up!" His bold voice echoes through the forest, disrupting the harmony. I ignore him and he stops in his tracks aggravated.

"I'm coming! I'm coming! Hold your horses!" I run to catch up to him, but I trip on some debris and stumble to my knees.

"Why does this always happen to me!" Raziel shakes his head in shame. I sit there wallowing in my own self-pity, when he appears by my side.

"I thought women were supposed to be graceful and elegant, until I met you."

"Don't bring female kind down to my standards. Now, are you going to be a gentleman and help my up?" I extended both my arms, grinning from ear to ear. He raises a brow.

"Do I look like a gentleman?"

"Oh come on!" I wine.

"Forget it." He turns to walk away from me.

"Then why did you come over here…you jerk."

"To get a better look at your disappointed face, when I turn you down."

I stick my tongue out at him and heave myself off the ground dusting off the moist dirt, stuck to my hands and knees. Raziel moves on without me and I hurry to catch up. I have my notebook in hand, going over the information he had just given me on my recorder. With one earphone in my ear, I play the reel over and over again. Hypnotized by Raziel's charming voice as he explains to me about the pillars and the nine guardians. It all seems so clear to me now. The pillars had ten guardians, the tenth guardian being Janos, of which Raziel is going to resurrect.

The pillars where guarded by the Vampire race, but the circle was corrupted when the race was cursed by their rivals. The pillars were thus, seized by the human race, since vampires could no longer be born. So far I only got that Raziel has a destiny that he is not pleased with and wants it to be revised. I found it particularly interesting that he used the word destiny. Such a fictitious word. I was quite curious about this, perhaps I will have to wait till he trusts me more.

As we were walking through the woods my eyes graze over Raziel's butt. I close my eyes and shake my head. What am I doing, Christ! I try to focus on the beauty that surrounds me, but my eyes keep lingering back. I look away once more feeling slightly ashamed, but what can I say I'm only human. You know when you start checking out a demon you've been single for far too long. Or perhaps I've been losing too much sleep. It feels like we've been walking for hours on end. My eyes flicker back to his butt again.

"Oh come on!"

"What now, you ridiculous women." He turns to face me.

"Nothing! Just stop walking in front of me."

"Then move faster!" My eyes move down to his pelvic region and I cover my eyes with my hands.

"Hahaha, what the hell!"

"What are you doing!?" he looks at me bewildered. I must look crazy to him.

"Nothing, let's just keep moving. Please."

"Tell me?"

"No, it's nothing, I swear. I think the lack of sleep is getting to me."

"Whatever, just pick up the pace. This is taking far to long."

"Indeed…"

Vorador's mansion has to be getting close and yet I don't want to get there. I enjoy Raziel's company and for some reason I cannot help but feel that we were going to be driven apart soon. I find this very unsettling…

(Raziel)

I can hear explosions coming from the direction we were travelling. That has to be Moebius's crusade destroying the place after successfully slaying Vorador. I have to make haste before those fools find Janos's memorial. I'm getting increasingly irritated with her slow meandering; I'll drag her there if I have too.

"Will you move faster!?" She has her nose in her damn notebook again. It's covering her whole face. She's been acting strangely…

"What are you doing?"

"What?" She looks up dazed.

"I'll drag your ass if I have too."

"What do you suggest I do? I'm not running, you can forget that!"

"We had a deal. You could come with me, so long as you respect my demands."

"Yes and you woke me up after only having two hours of sleep."

"You're lucky I even stopped for you!"

"Oh, well, excuse me for being human and having needs!"

"Annoying, smart assed female."

"Selfish, asshole!"

"Belligerent wench!"

"Yeah well, I would rather be a belligerent wench than a bitchy demon. What are you, menstruating!?"

"Why you!-"

"Ha. What's the matter cat caught your tongue." Her confidence is unbelievable…

(Michelle)

Okay I've gone too far. What happened to me being nicer to him? He's not going to tell me anything else if I keep up this attitude.

"…sigh, I'm sorry. You see what happens when you get me going."

"I got you going!? You argumentative cur!"

"Look, we can stand here arguing like children or we can keep moving. I'll try to move faster, okay." He looks completely unimpressed with me.

"…or, you could carry me again." A smile rascally.

"Forget it, last time was a onetime deal."

"Well then I guess this is where we part ways." I challenge him. I think he likes me more than he has led me to believe.

"Hmph. I don't think so, I have the answers you desire and you won't risk losing that."

"Oh really."

"Yes, really. Or have you forgotten what you said back at the Cathedral." Shit…

"Something about how I was the best source of information you have and without me you wouldn't have made it this far, and so on..."

"I can't believe you pulled that card…" can't blame a girl for trying. It would have been nice to get carried the rest of the way. He looks at me expectantly.

"Fine, you win this round." We start running the rest of the way…

(Raziel)

She's running far too slow. I'm not sure, but if I'm not mistaken this is a deceitful act to get me to carry her. I have to admit whole heartedly that it is working. She's diving me mental, but I refuse to give into her manipulations. I grab her hand and drag her along with me. She stumbles and trips as we race through the trees.

Vorador's mansion comes into view. We move around the building before I find the library I came out of. There's a large wall and I have no choice but to lift her over. Leaping up and onto the balcony that overlooks the forest, I place her feet on the ground.

"Now, stay put."

"No way!"

"Enough. We will discuss this no further."

"Hey! There's no way I'm staying here while this place is crawling with Vampire hunters and demons."

She has a point. She would most certainly perish in these conditions. As much as she aggravates me, I don't want to be responsible for her death. When I enter the library, Moebius is there to gloat about his victory. Guarded by an array of hunters, awaiting his command. As for Vorador, he is nowhere to be seen. Michelle makes an effort to hide, while I confront Moebius.

(Michelle)

I watch Raziel approach the man standing on the uprising, blocking the door out of the library. I fear the worse. Was Raziel too late to resurrect Janos? If so, it would all be my fault for slowing him down. The hardwood flooring is covered in muddy foot prints and water, like an arms ran through here. An army? Of course the army we saw in the woods. My heart sinks in my chest.

"Oh no…" The whole house quivers and quakes from the inside out. I listen to their conversation.

"Raziel, The conquering hero. I understand we are to offer congratulations. Kain, at last, is dead."

"I suppose you expect similar congratulations on the death of Vorador? Or has he eluded you?"

"We have him." He tosses a blade at Raziel, landing by his feet.

"But not without a considerable price in blood."

"That will have pleased him."

They continues to course with one another and I watch on mystified. They obviously know eachother. Raziel reminds the man that his own death will come soon enough. He pays no mind, as his faith in god sustains him as a faithful servant. He educates Raziel on the fact that he has provided them with the victory they sought, by killing Kain as he once again fell victim to their manipulations. My heart grows heavy…

"So this has all been arranged, every step of the way. And Kain thought I truly had free will."

"Oh, but you do. And there's the greatest triumph of all, to have compelled the one player who could choose into doing exactly what we required. Well done, faithful servant. And now - I have an execution to see to."

The Man motions to his men and they charge out to fight Raziel. There's so many of them, how can he fight them all. He's out numbered. A sorceress casts a spell that appears to protect the others from Raziel's attacks. While the second uses magic to attack him with. Magic…now I'm sure I've seen everything. He seems to be at an unfair advantage. I watch on troubled and feeling completely useless. What can I do though?

After watching helplessly from the sidelines, as Raziel fends off the hunters. I attempt to help him like I did at the cathedral. I sneak up a set of stairs to the upper half of the library. I have a clear view of the battle below, but what can I do up here? Raziel notices me and he looks at me, curious, yet annoyed with my carelessness. One of the Sorceress's are just below where I'm standing. It's the one casting the protective spell.

Maybe I can hit her with my backpack. That would give him enough time to do some damage. I take my bag off and dangle it over the edge of the railing. I aim for the sorceress and throw it down on top of her head. It hits her and she falls to her knees breaking her concentration.

"Yes!" My voice echoes through the library and all the hunters turn to look at me. I duck behind a pillar, feeling foolish.

"There's another one!" suddenly I hear thundering steps as they climb the set of stairs to get to me. There's nowhere for me to go. So much for helping him. I just got myself in trouble. The hunters reach me sitting on the floor smiling foolishly.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" I look down at Raziel who's far too distracted with the rest of the hunters to notice.

"Shit…" I say under my breath. They step closer with ill intent.

"…are you lost?"

"Maybe you should show me the way out." I say flirtatiously

"Hmhmhm…" he chuckles sadistically. I wait until he's just close enough. The other lingers behind, amused. Then when he's no more than an arm's reach, I grab him and push him over the railing. The other one wastes no time, grabbing me from behind. I let out a shriek. Raziel turns and looks in my direction, but there's far too many surrounding him to help me. I'm on my own for now…

"Argh!" He grabs my hair and bends me over a small table.

"Let go of me you pig!"

"Well aren't you a pretty little thing." He pushes into me, grinding his pelvis against me.

"Err, god!" I struggle to get free but his grip is to strong. I can hear screams going on below. I hope Raziel's having more luck then I am. He bends down and licks the side of my face, I seize the chance and smack my head into his. This loosens his grip on me and I kick him in the balls. He screams and falls to his knees. Grabbing a candle stick off the table, I hit him in the head as hard as I can. He falls to the floor unconscious.

I run down the stairs to meet Raziel, who's still fighting a few hunters. I step around the corpses that lay on the floor. One of the men jumps on his back, wrapping his arms around Raziel's neck while the other rushes to attack. Raziel screams out in pain, swinging the wraith blade around furiously. I panic, racing to his aid.

"Get off of him!" I grab the hunter on his back and attempt to pry him off. He lets go in surprise and swings his sword cutting me in the side.

"Ahh!" Raziel turns around to see me fall to my knees, holding my blood soaked side. I look up to meet his gaze, time seems to slow. His simple gaze turns to blind furry. He grabs the hunter by the shoulder and impales him with the Reaver and brutally attacks the other two. They become overwhelmed by Raziel's bouts and succumb to the blade. He runs to my side to assess the situation.

"What were you thinking?!"

"I'm sorry, I just wanted to help…" My body trembles.

"Ah, Michelle…" He picks me up in his arms and sits me on a nearby table. He grabs my arm and try's to pull it out of the way. I resist apprehensively.

"Do you trust me...?" I look up to meet his honest gaze.

"…Yes." I slowly move my arm out of the way. He lifts my top up gently, examining the wound for a few moments. He then summons the ghostly blade. I look at him with concern, of which he ignores. It glows a firey red.

"What are you doing?" He ignores me further and touches the blade to my side. It burns like fire.

"AHHH, what the hell!"

"There, that should keep it." I hold my side in pain.

"A little warning next time!" he dismisses my complaint.

"Well, what you did was foolish!...I'm beyond death."

"Really?" He has a matter of fact look on his face.

"…well, didn't you know?" his gaze turns to curiosity.

"Dogs are loyal companions." I smile at him.

"Cute…"

"So where to now?"

"Oh no, I don't think so."

"Oh come on, I kicked ass just now!"

"Yes and look where it got you." He motions to my side.

"Well, I'm not dead now am I?"

"No matter, you're staying here where it's safe. Or next time it will be a little more than a scratch."

"This is a little more than a scratch!"

"All the more reason for you to stay put."

"And what if I get attacked by a group of demons?"

"I doubt that will happen…" He turns and starts walking towards the exit.

"I'm not staying here by myself."

"…"

"Raziel?" He continues to ignore me. I follow him to the door and he turns to face me. All of a sudden I'm being forced back with his power. He goes through the door. When I reach it, it won't open.

"Raziel! Open the door, this isn't funny."

"…"

"…"

"…Raziel?"

"…"

"…Sigh."

He's gone. I try the door again, but it doesn't budge. I'm stuck here alone, in a creepy mansion, filled with all kinds of dangerous beings. There's no way I'm staying in this old creaky library. As much as I would love to read these books. I walk around the library, now destroyed by the carnage that went on moments ago. I pick up my backpack and examine its contents. Everything seems okay, but something's are a little damp from the rain. As I walk the rest of the library, I notice a few books on the history of vampires and humans. I open it and it discusses the complicated relationship between the two throughout Nosgothic history, fascinating.

I shuffle through a few more books, all of which folklore and history. I glance at the shelf next to me and there's a book that catches my eye. It looks a little out of place. It's called _The Serpent in the Lake of Tears._ I pull it out and a hidden entrance opens before me.

"Well, well." I smile to myself. What dumb luck.

I grab the book I was looking at and walk through the doorway cautiously. It seems to be a passage along the walls of this place. I walk through slowly and fearfully. I can hear all kinds of sounds echoing through these walls. Relentless battle cries, and rumbling from explosions. I turn around a corner and found another hidden door. I open it and I find myself behind a painting. I push it out of the way and step down off the ledge.

I'm in a large hallway. I follow it down, with dead bodies along the way. It gave me his direction as least, just follow the bloody corpses. I come to the large doorway at the end of the hall and slowly open it, but there is still no sign of Raziel. I heard the door slam behind me and I let out a quick scream. I turn around and see Raziel with his arms crossed leaning casually against the doorway. He did look cute in this pose, with his eyebrow raised with anticipation.

"You knew."

"Did, you have any doubt?"

"No, but I didn't expect you to be waiting for me this time."

"You're a stubborn women."

"And you're not!...well, I mean you're not a women, but you know what I mean." He looks amused.

"…You can follow till we get to Janos's chamber. You will have to wait outside then."

"Sigh…fine." I say apathetically.

"You better."

"I will."

"Swear it." I hesitate. His eyes narrow to little slits, awaiting my response. I bite my lip trying to find a way around it and he growls at me in frustration.

"Do I have to?"

"Undeniably."

"I'll stay out of site!"

"On no account!-"

"-Please, I promise you won't even know I'm there."

"I'm through discussing these matters with you. You either do as I say, or we're done!" He examines the disappointment on my face, which irritates him further.

"…I just have a feeling."

"A feeling about what?"

"You."

"…?" he examines my troubled face.

"Tell me."

"That you're going to be going away, soon"

"I'm not going anywhere." I look at him with uncertainty.

"…Sigh, I'll respect your wishes."

"Good." He starts walking down the hall, with me in toe as we enter a corridor. He seems distracted…

(Raziel)

When I met Moebius in the Library he made no mention of Janos, so there was still hope that his body still lay in the crypt undefiled. As for my companion, she never ceases to surprising me. I feel as though I have grown soft towards her. If it were anybody else I would have had no problem leaving them for dead. But with her it's as though the very idea of it pains me. After all she has proven to be the only one I can trust. The one person I could speak to without a worry that my words will be used against me somehow.

Much of the rooms and doorways are destroyed, and it seems as though I've been led along purposefully. I sense a trap ahead as I enter the main hall of the building. I motion to Michelle to stay behind and slowly make my way into the center of the room. Most of the doorways are destroyed and a large number of vampire hunters pour into the room, surrounding me. I find it humorous that they all feel so confident that they have me this time. With one fowl swoop I set them aflame with the Fire Reaver and watch as they run around the room helplessly. Their cries of agony come to an end, and I motion to Michelle peeking around the corner.

I turn around to see her stepping over the bodies looking particularly disgusted. I look down to see one of the hunter's igniting a bomb, and she is heading straight for it. Is she blind!

(Michelle)

Raziel tackles me to the floor at break neck speed. Before I have any time to react, a bomb goes off. Pieces of the room crumble to the ground around us. Raziel Lays on top of me, shielding my body from the chaos. When all the anarchy is through, he slowly lifts his body off of me, shaking his head. I lay here looking at him with wide eyes, my hands in fists across my chest. He looks cross with my carelessness. I need to lighten the mood…

"Oh, Raziel. I didn't know you felt that way. You didn't even by me dinner."

"Arh! Why do you always feel compelled to make comments?!"

"Haha, why does it matter when you know there not true?" I tease.

"A humble acknowledgement would be more apt." he says coldly.

"Thank you ever so much for saving my life, good sir."

"You act as though you truly find humour in all this!?"

"Sometimes you need to have a laugh…"

"Maybe you won't be so lucky next time."

"I like to walk on the wild side." I continue to joke.

He gets fed up with me and continues through the great hall, looking for an escape route. Most of the entrances are destroyed. Raziel notices a hole in the wall on the upper level and uses his telekinetic power to topple a pillar, clearing the wall beside it. He turns to look at me and stares contemplating something. I look at him confused…

"What?"

"…debating whether I should leave you here, or take you with me."

"Fuck you, I'm coming!" He chuckles to himself and jumps over the rubble to get to the wall. He turns to me expectantly and I approach the ruins. Unable to leap over it effortlessly like he did. I attempt to climb it, pieces shift under my feet and I slip and slide as I climb the wreckage. Raziel watches on amused and steps to the edge. I reach for the niche he stands on and my feet slip underneath me. Before I fell down the mountain of rubble, Raziel catches my hand and pulls me up onto the ledge. I latch onto him in a state of panic and he looks at me with an eye brow raised in amusement. I let go feel slightly embarrassed.

"If I'm not mistaken, I think you look for reasons to touch me?" He says mockingly.

"Oh, shut up." I guess he got me back for earlier, smart ass. He tells me to grab onto his back and bends down so I can get a better grip. He starts scaling the wall with me hanging on for dear life. Jumping from the wall, he grabs onto the ledge and pulls us up. I let go and plant my feet on the ground. I peek over the edge at the hall below, feeling slightly nauseous. Raziel continues through the hole without me and I run to catch up. It's extremely quiet now. All I can hear is our footsteps as we walk through the vacant hallways.

Raziel opens a door, suggesting I enter. I walk through hesitantly, looking back at him distrusting. For all I know he plans to lock me in here again, but he walks through. I look around and it's a large bedroom. The place was nicely decorated with hard wood flooring and a large red and gold carpet. There's a fireplace, a bed and few book shelves. It also has a desk and some chairs placed in various corners.

"Get some rest" He walks to the window, opens it and steps out onto the balcony. I haven't been feeling well lately, ever since Avernus. I feel shaky and weak in the legs. I think Raziel has noticed.

I look around the room and place my bag on the desk. I feel like I've been here forever. Not in the mansion, but in this timeline. A cool breeze blows through the window and a shiver crawls up my spine. I look at Raziel sitting on the edge of the balcony looking out over the estate. I wonder what he's thinking. I walk out on the balcony and he turns to look at me. I meet his glance and lean against the railing adjacent to him. He looks back out over the courtyard.

"So…about your..." I hesitate to ask.

"…destiny."

"What of it…?" He doesn't face me.

"…well, it's just, I mean, it's kind of, you see well, it's…"He slowly turns his head to face me again, with the look of stoic disbelief as I stammer over my words.

"…sigh, have you no shame."

"I'm sorry. I can't explain why, but I just need to know…" he cuts me off.

"Were you not listening when you eavesdropped on my conversation with Vorador? Or do I need to explain my inevitable dome to you in painful detail." He leaves me on the balcony. I suppose it's a touchy subject for him. I follow him into the bedroom.

"…I'm sorry."

"You act as though you hurt my feelings."

"Didn't I?"

"Please, what do you take me for? A weakling?"

"It's not weak to have feelings…" he shakes his head in humor. I cross my arms and stare at him in disbelief.

"What now?"

"You know very well what!"

"Just give it up."

"No. If it didn't bother you, than tell me about it." I challenge him.

"I doubt your human mind can comprehend it."

"Excuses."

"Hm, Fine."

"Alright, let's hear it." I look at him expectantly.

"…" He stands there annoyed at my ego.

"I'm waiting." He summons the ghost blade, and I look at him uneasy.

"You've seen this before…"

"Obviously." He ignores my attitude.

"This is more than a weapon. It's my own soul twined and bound to my arm inexorably."

"…Okay. So…it's like a paradox?" I ask trying to understand. He looks at me only slightly surprised at my response.

"Yes. It's called the Soul Reaver, just as I am a Reaver of souls."

"I see the connection, yes."

"It's a wraith blade and the physical form exists as well."

"The sword Kain had?" he looks at me incredulously.

"You're quite observant?"

"Hey, I'm a lot smarter than you give me credit for."

"…yes, well. My inevitable fate is to be consumed by the physical blade and to slowly descend into madness as I become a ravenous, soul consuming, none sentient, entity that you see here." He motions to the blade. Then he walks towards the other window and sits on the windowsill behind a curtain. I stand here feeling no sense of victory or joy. I walk over to my bag sitting on the desk and pull out my note book. I open it up to a blank page then rummage through my pack trying to find my pen. When I find it at the bottom or my bag – go figure, I hover above the page, hesitating to write down the info Raziel had reluctantly given to me.

"…Sigh." I fold the book and turn to Raziel sitting on the balcony. All I can see is part of his legs and his ragged wings hanging down. I walk over to him and pull back the curtain slowly. He turns his head slightly, but chooses to ignore me.

"I'm sorry."

"Forget it, just get some rest." He says without feeling.

"What's the matter mister grumpy pants." I say in a deep voice. I sit on the balcony next to him.

"The only reason we've stopped is for you to do what you need to as a human, so use this time accordingly."

"…what a nice friend I have."

"I'm no friend of yours."

"No, of course not." I say sarcastically.

"If you think we're friends then you have the wrong idea about our relationship."

"Well, maybe you should educate me." I say flirtatiously.

"Surely you have something better to do than annoy the hell out me."

"You sure know how to make a girl feel special." I tease getting up and laying on the bed parallel to the windowsill Raziel sat on.

It was strange really. I feel like we are good friends, as I have no problem talking to him or arguing with him for that matter. I enjoy speaking with him more than anyone I have ever spoken with. He continues to look out the window. What is our relationship? Does he really distain me? I know that can't possibly be true, one can tell how someone general feels about them. I have a feeling he likes me more than he has lead me to believe. I lay here, contemplating. When I notice a green shield form around the doorway to the room. I jump up in a start.

"Raziel." I whisper harshly. He looks at me annoyed, but quickly leaps up from his spot ready for action. I have nowhere to go. I look around the room frantically for a place to hide. I decide to flee under the bed. Not long after I scramble under there, I can hear things hitting walls, demonic screams, and things breaking. I can't see anything as I'm too afraid to open my eyes. I start to worry about my bag sitting on the desk. For all I know that desk could be destroyed now.

I feel something grab my leg and pull me out from under the bed. I scream and that seems to cue Raziel, who runs over to my aid. The demons hold on me loosens briefly, so I turn around and kick it in the jaw. Raziel spears it through the chest and continues to battle the rest in the room. I watch in horror, my back against the wall as Raziel mutilates them with extreme prejudice.

As he was fighting, one of the creatures grabs onto his upper body, head butting him. Raziel boots the creature off of himself, but the demon has a hold of his mask and pulls it off as it flew into a wardrobe, smashing it to pieces. Raziel doesn't seem to notice, as he is too busy with the other one that came up behind him. I try to get a good look at his face, but I'm unsuccessful. He's jumping and dodging too much for me to see clearly.

He appears to have destroyed the last one, his back is facing me. But a rather large demon comes flying through the air ambushing Raziel from behind. I run to one of the chairs and I smack the demon on the back as hard as I can. It doesn't seem to faze it at all, but I got its attention long enough for Raziel to make a move. He cuts the demons head off with one swipe of the sword.

When I look up to meet Raziel's gaze, I don't think I could have possibly been prepared for what I saw. My eyes widen and my mouth opens as I take a step back. I try not to react, buts it's difficult not to. As soon as he sees my expression, he knows. He brings his hand up to his face, only to find what he fears to be so. His eyes grow wide and he turns away from me looking for his cloth. I stand here in shock. I don't know why this surprises me so much, considering the rest of his appearance, but I honestly wasn't expecting this… He had no lower jaw. It was completely missing. I feel shameful for my ignorance.

He stands with his back facing me, unable to locate his banner. I look to where the demon grabbed his cowl and walk over to it. I pull it out from under the rubble and approach Raziel. I look up at him and he remains unmoving. I take a step closer towards him and when he makes no movement, I continue forward. I walk around him to meet his gaze, but he looks away slightly, closing his eyes. I look at him for a few moments, but he makes no attempt to acknowledge me. He's probably waiting for me to give him a hard time about this.

Why does this moment seem so…significant? I take a step closer to him. Our bodies inches apart. I slowly and hesitantly reach my hand up to touch him. My hand hovers centimeters away from his face, uncertain. I place my hand softly on the side of his head, touching his face gently. I feel his body shutter slightly upon contact. His eyes remain closed as I gently caress the side of his face. He stiffens somewhat and then submits to it. His expression changes, but to what I was not sure. It's not angry nor happy. It was more heartrending, yet somewhat elated. My heart was beating in my chest, fluttering like a bird. He moves his face into my hand a touch and places his on mine. This action surprises me. Just moments ago we were arguing and now…this.

I'm not even sure what this is. I mean, I thinks I know what this is, but…How? I haven't had these feelings for someone in such a long time. In fact, I haven't had a feeling quite like this before and they were towards Raziel. Does he feel the same way as I do now? How could he? But how could I deny this moment. His hand tightens around mine and his other hand slides up my arm to my forearm. Oh my god this is happening. I close my eyes and embrace the moment. I try to slow down my pulse and get a hold of my breathing.

(Raziel)

What is wrong with me? Why can't I fight this feeling? Her hand it feels so soft and warm. All I want is to remain in this moment forever. I don't want her to ever leave my side. I reside here as this intense feeling washes over me. At first I reject it to no prevail, and then I give into it. Letting it take me over completely. From the moment I first laid eyes on her, this feeling has been haunting me. Could I have romantic feelings for her? But why? What has she done for me?

She wraps her arms around me. Why is she doing this to me? She keeps making it exceedingly difficult for me to shake this feeling. I Raziel, have fallen victim to her advances. I feel as though I'm drunk and another force guides my hand. I embrace her, holding her tight in my arms. I put my face into her hair. I try to shake this feeling off once more, but it is futile. What has become of me? I do not understand how she can return these feeling for a creature such as myself… an unholy ghoul, an angel of death…

* * *

I do not own Legacy of Kain, or its characters. Only Michelle.

Conversation with moebius: Dialog from Legacy of Kain Defiance.


	10. Parting Ways

**Chapter 10**

**Parting Ways**

_Chapter Updated: June 17, 2013_

* * *

I can't stop thinking about that moment Raziel and I shared in the mansion not so long ago. His response to my embrace had surprised me that evening. The feeling of his arms around me still lingers. We have not spoken a single word since then. I stand looking over the edge of the balcony, with my hands on the railing, contemplating the significance of that moment. It overlooks the courtyard and the garden beyond. Decorated with trees, a well, and a stone walkway that curves around the length of the yard. It leads to the crypt that contains Janos' body.

A gust of wind blows my hair about, as I watch Raziel descend the set of stairs to my left. It has thankfully stopped raining. Here I ponder my current situation, watching small birds fly by, pecking at the ground for earthworms that are buried within a small layer of the earth's crust. Raziel stands on the path below, looking up at me, making me feel like Juliet. Although, _The Beauty and The Beast_ would be more accurate. I chuckle to myself.

I walk over to the stairs that lead to the stone path, where Raziel waits patiently, for once. Perhaps now he has a little more respect for me. I look up at him smiling, meeting his gaze, but he looks away and starts walking. This is obviously a little awkward for him and I can understand why. I'm sure he's not used to being treated so…lovingly. I'm not sure how to act myself. Have things changed between us?

I follow close behind him as we walk along the path, watching his wings sway in the wind. We reach the large stone building on the other side. It is a dome shaped building with Doric style, pillar reliefs that surround it. We stand on a circular platform with six sconces, three on either side of us. A large entrance beholds a large winged being arched over the doorway, making it ominous and forbidden. Raziel turns around to face me, probably to tell me to stay here. He speaks for the first time in a while…

"You may come…but stay out of sight when I raise Janos."

"…okay." I answer quietly. I was not expecting that…

The door unfastens for Raziel and I trail behind quickly, so the door doesn't shut in my face. I almost bump into him. It's fairly humid in here, but the cool atmosphere makes up for that. Although, it's intolerably quiet, and dim I find it peaceful. I follow him to the stairs that lead to the chamber below. Taking a few pictures of the room we are in, as I didn't get a chance the last time we were here.

The door slides open and we pass through. As we do so, the door slams close behind us and I latch onto Raziel's arm startled. I look up at him, but he doesn't react like I was expecting him too. He only slightly acknowledges me, but continues forward. So I continue to hold his arm as we make our way down the curved stairs. Candles lit the way to the camber, reflecting off spider webs, adding to the ambience of this place. It seems to get darker and darker as we walk down the stairs. I'm soon relieved to see a flickering light ahead as we come to a doorway. I let go of his arm as we approach.

"Now, stay here." I nod, feeling uneasy about the whole thing.

Raziel enters the room and I peek around the corner. He approaches the altar where Janos lays in peace. With on swift motion he shoves the heart into Janos' chest. I have to look away.

When nothing happens, I feel my heart sink. This aggravates Raziel and I thought he was going to bring his fist down hard on Janos' chest in anger. He instead lays his hand down gently on the wounded area. Is he too late once again? I feel entirely responsible for this. I was always slowing him down. I would be a fool to deny this. I start to enter the room when something happens. Janos' body jolts alive and I scurry around the corner, letting out a sigh of relief. Perhaps now Raziel will finally acquire the answers he's been perusing for so long.

Janos grabs onto Raziel's arm, who struggles to release himself from Janos' strong grip. He gasps and rises suddenly, grasping his chest in shock. When he finally comes to, he looks surprised to see Raziel.

"I remember…" he recalls his memory.

"Raziel, the heir of prophecy... You came for the Reaver just before the Sarafan found me..." he steps off the slab.

Raziel cuts him off and begins to explaining how he has been imprisoned deep within Vorador's crypt for centuries after the Sarafan destroyed him. As Raziel fills him in on the details, Janos appears to be overtaken by all the news.

"Your blood line has been swept away and the age of the vampires is coming to an end."

"We can waste no time then! –"

Raziel pushes away from Janos, cold and distant. He suggests that Janos has mistaken him for somebody else and that only he has the answers he desires. He tries to explain to Raziel that there are forces in the world that will try to mislead him. Raziel then asks him why the vampire race would create a weapon that would imprison there savor. Janos refuses to believe such a thing, telling him that he is destined to wield the blade, not to be consumed by it. Raziel reveals the wraith blade, bound to his arm. Janos looks astonished.

"Redeemer and destroyer…Is it possible that I misread all the signs?"

Janos suggests, in a hasty manner that Raziel's destiny might be more complex then he originally thought and he will bring him to the place where all his questions will be answered. I watch as Raziel and Janos vanish into thin air…my heart stops.

"No…" I whisper softly.

I run into the room, turning around in circles a few times trying to take this all in. I suppose I was in denial, as I have never witnessed somebody disappear like this before. I slump to the floor, my face glazes over, and my mouth gapping. It's what I feared. Ever since we came here, I've had this terrible feeling we were going to be parting ways…

"…he's gone."

I rap my hands around my body, sitting in the candle lit room for almost thirty minutes. Only then did the truth start to hit me like an iron hammer. I feel lost, alone, and I have no idea where to go next. I knew our companionship was not going to last forever, but I was hoping it would last longer, since our moment in the mansion. This just leaves me empty inside. The same emptiness I felt when my mom died. A hole in your heart that can never be replace.

I have to find Raziel even if I have to throw myself into oblivion to find him. I just wish that Janos had said their location before he vanished, with the one person in this timeline that makes me feel safe.

_Perhaps I should start looking in the mansion. I'm_ not exactly sure where to start looking, or what to look for, for that matter. The more I think about it, the more impossible it seems. I can't lose spirits now. I have to find him and the mansion sounds like a good place to start. On the plus side it might be a safe place to rest if I need too. With Raziel gone, there may be less demons around.

I walk back up the steps and through the door. It's still closed and I have no idea how to open it. There's a panel in the middle and when I touch it, the door responds quickly. Walking through the corridor, my footsteps echo on the cold pavement. Making me feel uneasy. When I reach the door to the crypt, I slide it open slowly. This is going to be harder then I originally thought.

The courtyard is swarming with demons. I can see two scouring the walkway and a few on the upper half, beyond the garden. The two on the walkway are turned away from me, walking towards the upper half. They appear to be discussing something. I thought this would be a good chance to run to the nearest tree. As I did so, I manage to step on a twig just as I reach the tree. Before I made it behind, I caught a glimpse of them respond to the noise. This is just perfect…

One of the demons comes over to check things out. I can hear it approaching the tree. My heart starts pounding in my chest. If it pounds any louder, I swear the demon will hear it. I close my eyes praying, with sweat pouring down my face. This can't be how it ends. I've gotten so far on my research, I was not going to give this up so easy. I start scouring the ground for something to defend myself, but as I do so, another demon comes down the steps. It starts to discuss something with the others and the one inches away from me, leaves to join the conversation…

(Raziel)

Janos transports me to the ancient vampire citadel, old and derelict. Millennia's of war against the Hylden race has been unkind. It is here that Janos suggests I will find the truth behind my destiny. Although, he is reluctant to answer my questions at first, he eventually submits. I could care less if the world were to end this instant.

He tells me that my actions will decide the fate of the vampire race, but how? By been imprisoned in the Reaver for all eternity? How does this insure the fall of the Hylden? The more questions I have answered, then more I appear to have in the end. When will this constant spiral of confusion end?

Janos gives me a medallion to open the locked door in the sanctuary, which will lead me deep within the bowels of the ancient citadel. I'm not sure what obstacles I will have to overcome, but Janos makes it seem ominous.

Ever since I've been here, I've had this odd feeling that something is missing. It is now that I remember her. She is still in Vorador's crypt, alone and unsupervised. I suppose she will be safe for now, assuming she will stay there. Knowing her, that would be wishful thinking. She will probably scour all of Nosgoth hunting for me.

I find myself growing weary the more I think about her, alone, confused, and unprotected. Perhaps I should have brought her into the room with me. Janos would not have reacted terribly towards her presence. Why does this even matter to me? It's not like I have a responsibility to her. Ever since that moment in the mansion, I can't get her out of my conscience. She lingers there like a terrible curse, haunting me. I'm not even certain I will ever see her again. In fact, I'm almost positive I will not.

It feels strange to be unaccompanied by her. Sometimes I find myself looking back, like she's been here all along. I would wonder why she's being so silent, completely forgetting that she is no longer with me. I suppose I have become accustomed to her – sometimes friendly conversation, not to mention her argumentative tone and endless whining. I have to admit, the one sure thing she appeared to be skilled at was quarrelling. She never treated me like a monster. Instead, she treated me like a friend, even when I treated her so…poorly. For that, I will never forget her, or the compassion she had shown me.

No matter what happens in the citadels inner most sanctum, I will know that my existence is not a complete waste ever since Kain postponed my destiny in the Sarafan stronghold. That there is at least one person I know I can trust completely in all this chaos.

I travel further down the steps of the citadel, until I enter a large courtyard. Two fire demons rise from the scorching pits of hell to meet me. Clearly whatever resides in the bowels of this place is significant, as they do not want me to discover it. They taunt me in a pitiful attempt to aggravate me. Really I don't know why they bother, it's not like they stand a chance…

I waste no time in defeating the fire demons. Nothing is going to stop me from entering the sanctuary within. I pass through a large, arched doorway and follow the corridors until I reach the entry to the ancient chamber. As I walk down the small stairway, a wind moans and whistles around me, pushing my wings around carelessly as I approach with caution. The room has a small, circular pool and an elongated door to the right. I figure this was the door Janos made mention of. I am to enter if I want to discover the truth behind my destiny. I put Janos' medallion in the carved out space on the door and it opens to reveal a long hallway.

I gaze down the immense passageway hesitant to enter. It's so vast, I cannot see the end of it. The wind feels as though it is pulling me in and for a moment I thought I heard it whisper to me. Telling me to go and embrace my destiny. I step into the lonesome hall and the doors slide shut behind me…

(Michelle)

I reached the mansion at last. I had to maneuver around the few demons that dotted the courtyard, but they were far too distracted in find Raziel to have noticed me. I can always count on my dumb luck to get me out of serious situations. Although, I don't know how much longer it will last. Raziel seemed to have been a large part of my survival in this dangerous land. Without him I fear what will become of me.

I creep quietly down each hall, trying to find the library I had entered when I first came here…with Raziel. How am I ever going to find him? As I walk down the hall, I pass the room we were in moment ago. I am confronted with powerful memories. I walk into the room and sit on the bed. A sea of emotion washes over me as I sit hear feeling sorry for myself. I lay down on the bed, starring at the spot where we had stood together in each other's embrace. I wonder if he feels the same way as I am feeling now, but I have my doubts.

I'm alone, and confused. I have no idea where to go, or what to do next. I can feel myself shutting down the more I think about it. I need to snap out of this if I'm going to survive. I hear two demons walking past the door to the room. I can feel my heart pound in my chest, as they had not noticed me. I slip under the bed before they enter the room.

Laying under the bed, stiff as a board, I eavesdrop on their conversation. They are talking about an ancient vampire citadel that stands to the west of the pillars, on the lake of tears.

"The hour of salvation is at hand." I can only see their feet from my position under the bed.

"He has provided us with the blood of an ancient, the fool has no idea what he has done."

"The lord will be pleased with this information."

"Raziel, the savior of Nosgoth can only insure its demise." I cringe at the dry, throaty voices as they laugh. Although, my heart flutters when I hear his name. Raziel.

_"They are talking about Raziel!"_ I panic to remember the place they were talking about.

The vampire citadel, Lake of Tears. Why do I know that name? The demons depart from the room and continue down the hall. I pull my backpack under the bed and pull out the book I found in the library called: _The Serpent in the Lake of Tears_. That's where I heard that name. I open it up and read the contents. Then I flip to the page that mentions the Vampire Citadel.

"Ah." Here it mentions that the citadel once served as a beacon to the ancients, but now crumbles in ruins over the lake of tears. Although, it states only winged beings can reach the top of the citadel. I read further and it mentions an old passageway through the base of the mountain. It goes on to mention that it once served as a home to the great serpent of the lake of tears, which also served as the guardian to the tower, to stop infiltrators.

I pull my map out of my bag to calculate the distance I need to travel to get there. My heart sinks deep in my chest at the thought of the space between us. It could take me days to get there by foot and I have this feeling that something monumental and terrible is going to happen if I don't get there on time. I'm so tired, but I have no time to rest. I have to get there as soon as possible.

I make haste to leave the mansion. I'm not surprised to see the halls are empty now. I can hear the sound of my own footsteps echo through the halls. The demons must have departed to the citadel. I hurry down the halls, picking up the pace to a slight jog. I leave the building through the back door. Madly looking for a way to leave the manor, it only brings back painful memories. I see a gate at the end of the courtyard. I race down the enclosure, maneuvering around the fallen pillars that block my path.

I exit through the gate. I'll need to head west to get to the Lake of Tears. But, I need to get out of this forest as soon as possible. If I can see the pillars I'll know which direction to head. Then I'll be able to find the citadel and be one step closer to Raziel. I'm on my own now so I'll have to take every precaution along the way.

I'm not even a few minutes into the forest and I have to stop running to catch my breath. I can feel my body straining under the stress. All I want to do is rest, but my determination and stubbornness keeps me going. I would sooner collapse to the ground in exhaustion then stop now.

I can no longer see the mansion, this is a good sign. I've at least been traveling a good distance. But I can't run anymore, as I no longer have the strength, or the breath for it. For now walking will have to do. When I went through the mansion gates, I traveled left. I hope I'm traveling in the right direction. I assume that the gates I exited through were to the south, which would mean I am now traveling west. All I can do is hope that I'm not going the wrong way.

Before I know it, the forest becomes dark and hard to navigate. I can hear wolves baying at the moon and other creatures come to life as the night passes. Although this time around, I find it beautiful and mesmerizing. Even though I'm vulnerable to attack, I'm not afraid like I was at the beginning. Perhaps traveling with Raziel had strengthened me somehow. I had already seen the worst of what is out there, so what's there left to be afraid of. If I'm going to die, then I'm going to die. What's the use in being a coward about it? I knew the risks in coming here and I would have been a foul to think anything less.

My feet are starting to get heavy and my muscles are cramping. I have no doubt that this is the result of sleep deprivation and dehydration. I refuse to bow down to my body's needs. My humanity is going to have to wait for another day. I doubt Raziel would let such things get in the way of achieving his goals.

For a moment I thought I saw a break in the trees, but I'm most likely hallucinating. My vision is blurred and I've been seeing things all night. I bend down and grab my flash light from my bag, throwing away all precaution to see a few extra feet in front of me. I turn it on and flash it in front of me, to see if I really am delusional. To my surprise it is the edge of the forest.

I run to the opening and flop myself onto the grass, starring up at the painted sky above me. Galaxies and nebulas float above my tired body. The sky is so littered with stars it looks as though someone repeatedly flicked paint on a canvas; It's breathtaking. I don't think I could make out the constellations if I were an astronomer. In the city you don't get to see stars like these.

_"I wish Raziel were here to see this…not that he would care…" _I heave myself off the ground and dust myself off, remembering my current operation. I look around for the pillars. It's hard to find them in the dark like this, but I soon find them to the southwest, standing tall against the horizon. I know this is going to be a long trek, but I have to reach Raziel before it's too late. I don't yet know what I'll be too late for, but I honestly don't want to find out…

* * *

I do not own Legacy of Kain, or its characters. I only own Michelle.

Dialoge from Legacy of Kain Defiance.

Thanks for reading


	11. Ziegsturhl

**Chapter 11**

**Ziegsturhl: The Home of a Sarafan Knight**

The cool breeze danced across my face and through my hair as I stammered across the flat, open plains that gave Nosgoth her reputation for gorgeous scenery. Back home I do not think there was a single book on world photography that did not have something from Nosgoth within its pages. Its beauty and ambiguity captures every photographer with its mystical charm. 

The sound of my feet hitting the rough terrain beneath me became more distant as my eyes began to glaze over and it only took a few more steps before my legs betrayed me. I was soon on my hands and knees creeping towards the golden arches as the sun begin to rise and the bright rays crawl across the tips of the stony masses. The Pillars looked as though they where encased by a palace of gold. 

My arms are trembling as I tried desperately to drag my broken body across the ground. The blond grass shimmered as the wind blew carelessly along the terrain making the undergrowth move in a wave like motion. I collapsed, but my body was well hidden from any danger that could be circling around me by the tall grasses that grace the meadow with life and a peaceful serenity. I lay limp on the ground, too tired to press on, my mind was whispering to me, telling me to get up and move on before something terrible happens to Raziel, but my physical condition was giving me no choice in this matter. I could no longer hold my eyes open and the pain in my heart only became more prominent. As I slip in to an unconscious state I could almost hear his voice…calling my name.

-

When I woke up from an eventful rest all I wanted to do was go back to sleep. My whole body ached and my head was throbbing worse then when I awoke from my graceful swim through the river of death. I was afraid to move and my whole body began to tremble in its weak state, but all I could think of was trying to find Raziel. When I moved my arms I was right to be afraid to move, for I could not help but whimper slightly when a jolt of pain slipped up to the base of my shoulder. I continued my attempt to get my feet planted firmly on the ground and each muscle movement was indeed a chore. I decided to sit instead and moved from my current hands and knees position to sitting firmly on the ground.

My body was starting to settle as the pain turned into a slight burning sensation. I could not understand why I was in so much pain; it may have been from my struggle to climb up the walls that surrounded Vorador's mansion or that lengthy run through the forest, it was probably a combination of both. 

I couldn't help but feel slightly exposed to the world as I surveyed my surroundings. I could have been mauled by a bear or demon and would have been defenseless. It was then I realize that I was planning on going on an epic journey to find the man I…to find Raziel, with no one or thing to protect me. After all I was only human and as humans we have no claws, no teeth, no nothing to protect us. We are defenseless creatures and I was going to have to find something to protect myself from harm if I wanted to make it to him in one piece. 

I heaved my tender body off my grassy bed with an epic amount of effort. Yes I needed to get more exercise when I got home…**if** I got home. I stood in my imprint scanning the flat terrain and using the pillars as a sense of direction to find a near by town, preferably a larger town where I could upgrade more like down grade my clothing. It wouldn't hurt to find some weaponry as well, not that I had money to pay for these things, but I would find away; I smirked to myself. As I was staring at the pillars in the distance admiring their graceful climb in the sky I remembered something, something from the beginning of my arrival. I remembered my talk with the cheeky vampire hunters and that they had told me of a nearby town called Ziegsturhl. It was just beyond the pillars, so this worked out perfectly, for I could go to the pillars seek the direction of the Vampire Citadel and then make my way quickly to Ziegsturhl to stalk up. My courage bubbled from deep within and I made confident strides in the pillars direction. I couldn't help but remember Raziel finding me spying on him from behind that tree and him dragging me through the Dark Forest on are way to Vorador's mansion - my whole body quaked at the name. This also means that I was planing on going back to the place we first met, in the woods that extend just before the pillars themselves. I had a feeling that this journey was going to be like therapy on my behalf.

-

It had already been at leased two to three hours of constant walking and my legs felt no better since the time I woke up. The walk was uneventful as well, no sarcastic remarks from Raziel and I had nobody to complain to about my sore feet. I did not like the fact that this journey was going to give me lots of time to think about things…things I don't want to think about, like home and how nice it would be to have a nice hot shower and a cozy bed to curl up in, to argue with my sister first thing in the morning about who gets the last bit of milk for breakfast. I have to say this journey has reminded me of how good I had it back home. Sleeping in till noon, reading Eric Wilson while basking in the sun on my days off on a lawn chair, telling my step mother off which was always the highlight of my day. Certainly life was good. What was I going to tell them if I ever got home, that I went on a journey to save a stubborn, pompous, ignorant, melodramatic…charming... roughly handsome demon, with an attractive voice…and a sexy accent from an uncertain doom! I could feel my face burn red, but not entirely with anger "Oh dear, I am in love with him…aren't I." This only reminded me of Vorador's mansion form the events in the bedroom to his inevitable departure. My heart sank in my chest at that part. Yes I was falling fast and for a demon, I was completely breaking my own rules. First I swore off men months ago since I could never hold on to one in the first place and second I should not be falling for anybody in this time…especially arrogant demons! For all I know I could have already altered history and could go home to a demon up rising. 

I had to get Raziel out of my head, which was going to be impossible because I was now on a journey to rescue him and from what...I had know idea. I just had a terrible feeling about this whole situation. I don't know exactly what it was that Raziel was searching for, but it had something to do with a sword and soul capturing and it had to do with Raziel's soul being captured, which was enough to motivate me.

I took a look over my shoulder to see how far I had walked since I began and it looked as though I had barley moved, you could never have guest that I had been walking for three and a half hours. I slumped down onto the blond grassy bed beneath me that still cloaked across the savanna-like-plains as though it was a giant blanket of gold. I gasped, as pain shot up my knee to my hip joint. Looks like my current injuries where still prominent, very prominent. I flopped backwards onto my back and stared up at the crisp blue sky above me, absent of any clouds "I guess the sky is just as lonely as I am." I closed my eyes as a tear made its way down my face, what was happening to me I used to be so strong. I guess it had been so long since I let anyone get into my heart, yet nothing has changed I still managed to lose this one to, not that he feels the same way. 

As I watch the ominous sky above a lonely cloud drifted on by, I rolled my eyes in condemnation as I sat up feeling mocked...by the sky. Just then I noticed two deer licking one another in the distance, yes male and female, but my gaze was transferred down to a blade of grass that had two colorful beetles mating "Oh come on!" since when was nature so cruel. It was official everybody had some except me.

As I sat here feeling sorry for myself, I couldn't help but remember that I had seen a deer couple upon my arrival to Nosgoth's past and I wondered if they where the same two. It was on the other side of the pillars that I seen them, but deer don't exactly live in a small radius. I realized how much time I was wasting while sitting here and got up in a hurry, legs screaming as I got to my feet. I set out with a light jog; as to not strain my body too much after all it did deserve a rest. My feet hit the dirt in nice even strides and I had to say it did feel good to run, not to mention that it will make up for time I had lost snoozing and feeling sorry for myself. I kept my pace constant, while making marks to strive for along the way to keep me motivated for running.

-

I new I was getting closer to the pillars for I was in a forest now and had to yard my head up at a 45 degree angle just to see them. For once I hadn't tripped, scraped or plodded into the mossy undergrowth through the forest, but once again I had to speak ahead and ended up gouging my arm on a broken tree branch. Thankfully I was walking along a small trickling stream and was able to wash my arm and wrap it in gauze, to think that I actual thought I was getting over my accident proneness. I walk on being careful as to not hurt myself anymore and keeping a watchful eye on the Pillars, so I didn't get lost. Wouldn't that be wonderful? 

It didn't take me long to reach the towering monuments that are old and gray, the same as I had left them. weeks ago, possibly months. I wasn't exactly sure how long it had been since I first arrived, but it felt like an eternity. I walked up the small steps that lead to the center of the pillars and stared mystified at how old the monuments where and as I did I noticed something move from behind them. It startled me because it wasn't at ground level that I saw this misty shape move. 

I took a step back and the misty figured revealed its self to be a woman, I remember that Raziel was talking to this figure before and her name was…Ariel. She gracefully glided over to me, I could barley make out her legs.

"State your business hear, young one." Her voice echoed in the small clearing, sounding almost godly. She didn't sound threatening or angry, which made me feel a lot more comfortable about my situation. After all I was here with out Raziel, I had to tread carefully if I wanted to survive. 

"Your business child." There was a slight irritation in her voice at this point, so I decided to speak up before I pissed her off. "I…I'm looking for the vampire citadel." She raised an eyebrow at my question, looking perplexed.

"You have a death wish perhaps."

"No I…I just need to get there before…" I trailed off. I didn't know exactly why I needed to get there so quickly, only that it had something to do with Raziel, but I left that part out.

"Before…" She questioned

"…before something terrible happens." She gave me the same perplexed look she gave me earlier, but more surprised.

She hesitated before she gave me an answer, probably still wondering why a human would possibly want to go strait to the heart of Nosgoth's vampire plague "…It is exactly west of the pillars, but I warn you not to go any further then the tenth floor child, if you value your life." She drifted back behind the pillars and was no longer visible to my searching eyes. My experiences in Nosgoth were not short of interesting. I've seen demons, vampires, dead vampires been risen from eternal slumbers, and now spoke to a haunting spirit that was bound to the pillars for eternity. What else was I going to discover.

-

It started to rain on my walk to Ziegsturhl, which was **just** wonderful. I was going to walk into an old gothic town looking like a wet rat. Knowing my luck I would probably get chased out because the whole town had thought I was a witch. I had to say, the downpour did add to the beauty of these woods. The birds where lightly singing, the trees where lightly swaying in the breeze and every now and then a loon would bellow out in the distance to its mate to be.

I figured Ziegsturhl was a couple of hour's away - maybe less, from my current position and it was already starting to get dark. I was surprised at how fast nightfall had came and remembered that I had been walking for quite awhile. I began to search for shelter along the path, looking into the dense forest that accompanied me. Anything to shield me from the rain would be good. 

I started rustling through the undergrowth, shoving past tangles of leaves, tripping over tangled roots and scraping my arms on protruding branches. I broke into a small clearing with a large oak tree, almost falling on my face…almost. The abnormally large oak climbed into the sky past the canopys of the smaller trees with a graceful magnificence. It didn't take me long to realize that this was the same tree I had first came in contact with Raziel. I wondered if fate brought me here to this specific spot, I mean the odds where against me to stumble back here like this. Weren't they?

I walked up to the moss free oak and put my hand against its rough exterior. It certainly was a magnificent piece of art created by nature. As I stared up at the trees distant canopy in awe, the rain reseeded slowly from a harsh harassment to a mild tickle on my skin until it retreated its assent on Nosgoth completely, almost as if nature herself was trying to heal the land.

I new I had to find a spot to stay the night, but I didn't entirely want to sleep right now. The ground is wet and muddy and I was too restless. In the end I decided to keep walking to Ziegsturhl. I figured it could not be far from here, and in fact it should be very close. There should be someplace I could rest, like an old barn or house, an inn would be to expensive for somebody who has no currency from this time. I would preferred not to communicate with the people of this time anyways, so I made sure to have a plan ready, to stick to quiet areas and avoid eye contact at all costs. I stumbled through the forest as fast as I could to get to the clearing I new was very close, so I could scan the open plains for any sign of the town.

When I broke into the clearing I could vaguely see the makings of a town on the horizon, I assumed it must be Ziegsturhl. I was happy to know that I wasn't going to have to sleep on the mossy earth this night. From my vantage point the town did look fairly large, not like a capital, but large enough to have shops and markets with a wide selection; not to mention a place to sleep other then Mother Nature. 

It took me twenty minutes to walk to the outskirts of the town, which felt to lengthy, I suppose I was so used to the big city, not being able to see my objective, which were always blocked by tall buildings. I was a little afraid to enter, not sure how people would react to me. I was walking along a dusty road, with farm houses and stables to the left and right. Since it is night, all the farmers where probably inside eating a hot meal before bedtime. I envied them. 

I noticed a stable located to the right of one of the small one room farmhouses that was to the right of myself. It was a little ways down the road and farther out on the ranch, but I figured I could stop and rest there till early morning. Hopeful I could wake early enough to avoid the farmer's wrath. I started walking through the rye field to reach the old creaky farmhouse and ran my hands gently across the tips. My backpack was starting to strain on my right shoulder and was tugging on some sensitive hairs, so I was forced to reposition it. I reached the large barn in about fifteen minutes, I was walking a little bit slower then usual, while enjoying the scenery, so it probably took me longer then it need to be. 

The barn was warm and humid when I entered and all the animals eyed me, making small noises as I walked by searching the barn for a safe place to sleep. One of the horses a beautiful stallion that was muscular, with a long black, kinky mane - as if someone had braided tiny braids and left them in to long, was making whinnies in my direction. I walked over and stroked its noses lightly and it bobbed its head up and down making my hand bob as well. The horse was a sleek black in colour and as I entered the stall I notice its legs where thick with hair growing just before the hooves, but I new this horse was no Clydesdale, for he was not as bulky and was taller in the legs. My head just reached his shoulders and was only an inch above his back. It was a beautiful horse and responded kindly towards my gentle pats.

"May I rest hear tonight." The horse arched his head in my direction and looked at me with big beautiful brown eyes that almost had a twinkle in them and made a tiny high pitched whinny, sounding quite adorable. I had to admit I was falling for this beautiful animal; he was quite a charming horse. I wasn't keen on the idea of sleeping on the horses bedding but I new there was no where else I could sleep that would be away from the farmers peering eyes. Before I set up my own bed, I grabbed a fresh bed of hay from a spare stall so I wouldn't have to sleep on the horse's…bathroom. Not so sanitary. I made my bed closer to the stalls front end so anybody approaching it wouldn't see me. The horse didn't seem to mine my shuffling and seemed to be quite taken with the idea of having a stall mate. I had to say I was a little afraid of being rained on over night, I felt quite vulnerable down here at the horses feet. I quickly shook the idea out of my head.

-

When I woke up it was quiet in the barn. I figured all the animals where sleeping, but I was mistake when I turned my head to meet my newfound friend sniffing and lightly nudging my face. I let out a small squeal, partly laughing because the whiskers tickled. I noticed the barn door cheek and I stop dead. It was the farmer, probably coming in to feed the animals. I wasn't sure what to do when I heard him approaching the stall. I sat still, trying not to breath to hard. The farmer greeted the horse kindly and gave him a hardy pat on the neck, tossing a cup full of oats over the stall door and on top of my head. The horse didn't hesitate to eat them licking the oats out of my hair and lap sliming me with his rough moist tongue.

"Another long day Tosca." The horse whinnied at the sound of his name.

"But you don't mind helping me plow the fields do you old friend." The farmer gave the horse another pat on the neck and then bent down to pick the bucket of oats up to feed the other horses. Tosca let out a deep whinny, snorting once and then bending down to finish his morning treat. I patted him gently on the neck and whispered _"Nice acting."_ He snorted in agreement.

Once I had gathered my things, which was after the farmer left, I roamed the barn to see if I could find anything of use. I managed to find a staircase that led up to an attic filled with crates, chests and old cloths. I started shuffling through some crates to see if they had more clothing boxed up, after all I didn't want to walk into town looking…well the way I do. I managed to come across an old white long sleeved shirt that was baggy in the sleeves and with ruffled ends, plus a black corset. I thought they worked nicely together and put them on ungracefully. I ended up losing my breath and falling to the floor when I attempted to do the corset. A difficult task in its self. After feeling light head for ten minutes I managed to find a black-brown pair of pants that fit snugly. I rummaged around to make sure there wasn't a better pair of pants until I stumbled across old weapons that where severely scratched and beaten up from battle. There was a short sword, some kind of dagger, a bow with arrows and a long sword that was rusted slightly around the edges. I figured the short sword would be best. It was the only one that wasn't rusted and I could never use a bow – no aim, and the dagger was just pathetic. So the short sword it was.

When I picked the sword up, for some reason I was expecting it to be much lighter and when I heaved I gave it to much power and ended up tipping backwards with the sword swung over my head piercing the ground behind me, hands still around the handle. I gathered myself and attempted to heave it out of the wood paneling. I managed to rip it out of the floor, but I smacked myself in the jaw doing so. Yes I was pathetic. What was I going to do with out Raziel?

-

I set out towards the town, but not first saying my goodbyes to my new friend. It was a sad departure, for as I approached the doors the horse let out the saddest whinny I had ever heard. It sounded almost as though the animal was in pain. The town was not far from the settlement and I was soon walking down streets with horse currier's parked on the side and people chatting all around me. I figured I had made it to the towns square. I was surprised that I had not yet been given odd stares, in fact nobody seemed to notice me at all, even with my back pack slung over my shoulder. 

Ziegsturhl was a nice little town, and was very quiet when I started getting farther from the squire. I really had no reason for being here, for I had everything I need for my journey, but I just felt compelled to be here.

I came to a round about that had a tree planted in the center and a bench placed at the base of the tree. I sat down to get a rest facing a semi large home, that looked terribly old, but well kept. There was a few people roaming and chatting with one another. I eavesdropped a little listening to them talk about how old this part of town was and that it dated back to the Sarafan days.

"It is true…and we are lucky enough to have had one of the greatest Sarafan knights grow up here, in our own town." The older lady said almost mesmerized.

"…Yes, what was his name again…" her voice sounded as old as she looked, severally wrinkled, squinting eyes and an old creaky cane. 

"…I believe it was…Rafael." She spate out weakly.

"No…no, it was Raziel." Now they had my undivided attention, and it was then I remembered documentations of heroes of Nosgoth that where called Sarafan priest. One of them was named Raziel! I new that name sound strangely familiar. Could this Sarafan Raziel and my Raizel be the same person? When I find him he is going to be answering a lot of questions.

"Hmm…and he grow up in that house right over there." The old lady pointed a shaky, bony finger at the house right in front of me. I gasp slightly at the odd coincidence and got up and started running back towards the stable.

When I made it back finally the sun was getting closer to the horizon, for I managed to get lost in the town along the way. I just wanted to get out of here as soon and as fast as possible and I was going to be taking my little friend with me… 

* * *

Yeah! I updated finally :). Sorry for the long, long, long, long, long, long...long! wait. I'm sure it wasn't the most exciting chapter and I couldn't get in contact soon enough with my new beta reader so I figured I would put it up for you guys anyways. Well I hope you like it and I will try to get the next up as soon as possible :D.

Thank you for reading and review if you do.

A special thanks to Lil V for alowing me to use info from her story 'The Lord is my Secret'


	12. On The Run

**Chapter 12**

**On The Run**

When I entered the barn, Tosca the farmers' horse greeted me with a powerful whinny, full of happiness…and despair. I heard the farmer rustling in a corner of the barn and I ducked behind one of the haystacks to the left of me. I barley avoided his vision as he tossed a fork full of hay over the stall door of one of the bay horses.

"It's just the wind Tosca, settle down old boy." The farmer chortled, sounding slightly annoyed. Tosca just snorted with dismay. I peered around the corner and put my finger up to my mouth to hush the startled animal. Tosca just looked at me, ears cocked, nostrils flared.

The farmer finished his routine around the barn before retreating to his howling wife in the background, stating that dinner was ready. When I was sure his presence no longer resided in the barn, I scouted the premises for horse gear to saddle up my good friend Tosca. I found his gear in a tack room near the front entrance and when I brought it out front, Tosca let out small high pitched whinnies while bobbing his head up and down excitedly. His main danced across his back with each thrust of his neck. I had to smile at him he just looked so cute with his ears perked and head held high in the air, watching my every move. When I opened the stall door, Tosca danced around in the stall like a little colt, but not with as much emphasis. I giggled as he sniffed my face, and partly because it was so funny to see such a large stallion dancing around with giddy mannerisms.

I was soon finished setting Tosca up, with a bridle that was absent of a bit and a saddle fully equipped with saddlebags. Before I ran off with the farmers' horse I waited a short period of time until it was dark enough to sneak off unnoticed. I sat in a corner of his stall, thinking about which direction I would have to go when I left the barn. It would be easy enough, because I was on the northern side of the town closest to the pillars, so I can avoid the towns folk with ease. Tosca snorted and nudged me vigorously with his nose as I sat there staring off into space. He was obviously growing inpatient and was eager for adventure. I patted him on the nose gently.

"Well Tosca it's about that time. Shall we leave?" Tosca whinnied, bobbing his head in a quickened pace almost like he was nodding _'yes, yes.' _I laughed and grabbed onto his rains to help me up off the ground and then guided him out of his stall and through the barn door. As I got on Tosca's back I could hear something slam behind me. Tosca spooked and I just caught a glimpse of the farmer starring at me shocked and appalled. Next thing I new he was chasing after us, waving his pitchfork as we bolted across the clearing into the trees ahead. He obviously new he wasn't going to catch us, but anger makes you do strange thing sometimes.

Tosca whizzed past trees at top speed, dodging them with accurate precision. I could hear shouting in the background, but it didn't worry me in the least. After all people in this time had little to no law enforcement in some areas.

Tosca and I had managed to find a small dirt path that - from my speculations, lead to the pillars. I slowed Tosca to a nice fast passed walk since my escape, seeming as if he could sense the haste from deep within me. As we walked along the dark road, filled with songs from crickets and frogs. I could hear the sound of thunder resonating behind me, as I glanced over my shoulder I was soon corrected of the sounds origin. Behind me were three hovering light sources bobbing in the darkness and it didn't take long for me to see the muscular bay horses galloping strait for me with speed and determination. I was also granted vision of their riders, three guards shouting in cheap lightweight armour. When the towns' watch reached me, they slowed their horses to a stop.

"Halt." The lead guard commanded me with a deep stern voice. Tosca fussed underneath me. Whinnying, snorting and foaming at the mouth. I tried to calm him but he wouldn't stop. The lead watchmen continued his assault "We where notified by a local that his horse was stolen from a person of the…female persuasion," the guard looked me up and down with suspicion before continuing "…you wouldn't happen to know anything…of importance, would you?" Tosca became more restless as my tension built up, stomping and bobbing his head with fervour as the other two guards shifted in there saddles with uneasy expressions on there faces. I hurried to answer his question "…I don't…sorr – "before I could continue, I saw Tosca's ears slick back, he let out I a high pitched whinny and reared with furious eyes, stomping the ground with as much force as possible. I wrapped my arms around his neck, screaming like a banshee.

"Miss! Control your animal!" The guard got off of his horse to help settle Tosca down. "Miss, miss, Whoa! - " Tosca lurched forward stomping and screaming. Soon it swept across the party and the bay horses joined in Tosca's rage, snorting and stomping the ground with only one hoof. The guards quickly got control of their horses, but not before Tosca bolted with me screaming, arms wrapped around his neck like I was never letting go. I don't know why I closed my eyes but I did.

When I finally got the courage to open them. All I could see were trees wiping past at light speed. I was surprised at how smooth the ride was. I was expecting it to be rough and slightly painful. More courage bubbled with in me and I let go of his neck to grab onto the rains, while wobbling around on the saddle trying to get my balance. I looked behind me to see if the towns watchmen where fallowing me and sure enough I could see them come around the bend in the path at neck braking speed. I figured Tosca and I where already on the run so…"Faster Tosca! Faster!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, kicking his sides like a mad man…woman. Tosca seemed to respond the way I had hoped and picked up speed at a tremendous rate. I could hear the guards screaming behind me, "Stop in the name of the law!" I noticed a path just right of me, which was perfect because I had to head west of the pillars. The guards where hot on my, well Tosca's tail as we tore down the trail kicking up dust and other debris.

As we flew through the narrow path of trees, my vision tunnelled and the noises were blocked to the point that every sound around me was but an echo. The calls of the guards behind me, the gentle rustle of the chains on Tosca's bridle, the air being forced out of his nasal cavities, to the repetitive sound of his hooves hitting the rough terrain beneath me. My eyes were fixed on the road ahead as time seemed to slow around me, causing me to go into a trance like state. The adrenalin was pumping through my veins and the world around began to fad into nothing…

…

…

…Water…I can hear water.

…But my arm, my arm was so sore. I tried to open my eyes, but it was too bright. My arm there must be something wrong with it. The sting keeps intensifying the longer I lay helpless on the hot sandy floor. I heard Tosca snort and it made me jump slightly. I had forgotten our run through the forest from Ziegsturhl's watchmen.

I could hear Tosca walk over to me, then I could feel him sniffing and nuzzling my head. He started to lick me vigorously, slobbering all over my face. I waved my hand around in a helpless manner in an attempt to shoo him away. It didn't work, until I rolled over on my side. My arm stung in an unbearable manner, throbbing and aching. When I didn't move Tosca began licking and nuzzling me again, "Tosca…Tosca go away." I whined pathetically. I felt like I had a terrible hangover.

"Please, Tosca stop." He ignored me completely. I attempted to sit up and Tosca let out a satisfied, deep whinny. The last thing you want when you have a hangover is something licking you in the face. When I was halfway sitting up Tosca gave me a little nudge in the back to help me up. He has quite the personality this one. I put my hand over my eyes slightly to block out the suns glare; I could hear the steady pounding of waves hitting a shoreline. I could barley make out the murky water of the lake, as the suns rays pierced my eyes.

Slowly my eyes adjusted to the brightness of the afternoon sun and I was able to get a better view of my surroundings. Tosca was just behind me nibbling on the grass clumps that surround the sandy bay. I watched, as his teeth would clamp down on a patch of grass and how his lips would help guide the tender blades into his mouth in fast effortless motions. At leased one of us was enjoying them self. I took a glance at my arm and I quickly realized my dilemma. The cut where I had scratched myself two days ago was bright red near the opening wound and progressed into a purple colour farther from the opening. I felt faint as I stared at the infected area and was soon bringing up what ever I had for lunch compulsively. When my body gave me a break I quickly looked around for my bag and noticed it in one to the leafless bushes past Tosca. I weakly crawled over to it holding my left arm in the air as to not get anything else corruptive in it. I was already in enough pain as it was. I grabbed my bag and tore through it with extreme prejudice; to find any antibacterial formula I could get my hands on in my first aid kit. I was sure I put some on my wound when it was fresh. I dumped some on a clean piece of gauze and placed it on the wound, the pain was unbearable, I was sure I was going to break my jaw from clamping down so hard. The whole area ached with unspeakable pain as I put pressure on the infected area. The formula ran down my arm as I pushed. I quickly rapped a rage around my arm just below the elbow to stop the infection from spreading up my arm. Tosca looked at me with concern as I whined and moaned in pain. There wasn't much else I could do but wait and look over the murky lake covered in fog in the distance.

As time passed by…slowly I noticed the fog had settled since I had first awoke from my dreary state of mind, by Tosca's assertive nuzzles and slobbery tongue. There appeared to be some kind of tall structure in the background but it was still too foggy to tell. I had to say it was strange to be over here in the bright afternoon sun while there was fog settling over the lake. The suns rays lit up the fog, making it golden just on the top.

Tosca whinnied when I tried to get up. I felt feverish as time progressed and I knew it was from my infection. As I looked out across the clearing lake I wondered if I was going to die out here…by myself. My companion looked at me, almost like he was worried for me.

"I'll be fine Tosca, don't worry now." He walked over to me with four powerful strides and sniffed my arm, letting out long, deep whinnies. I ruffled the fur on his head; by pulling it up against the grain into a Mohawk look…a very small Mohawk. I snickered to myself. As I pushed Tosca's fur to its normal position, I noticed the large structure I had thought I had seen was indeed there and it appeared to be some sort of castle. It took awhile for it to sink in but I figured it out soon enough. This had to be the Ancient Vampire Citadel! The one those demons where talking about. I ran over to the lakes edge, the small fickle waves gently washed over me feet soaking my soaks and shoes.

Raziel was near I could feel it. I was so close, yet this infection could take my life in a day or less. I had to make it; I just had to. I can't let whatever it is happen to Raziel, not when I made it this far. I looked back at Tosca nibbling on a stray grass mound "I guess this is where we part…" Tosca lifted his head and looked at me, ears perked forward attentively. I walked over to him and stroked him on the neck gently as he continued his current affairs. I grabbed my things from his saddle bags, which included small rations I managed to grab from the market place when people weren't looking, my short sword tied on with leather straps and my old clothing that I had to stuff into my bag somehow.

Some how I was going to have to get across the 'Lake of Tears' that didn't involve me getting wet. Including my pack, which held my laptop. To my surprise there were no trees around, go figure. So the idea of creating some kind of floatation device was out of question. There had to be some way for me to cross the misty lake, without risking my life in some way. Then, across the lake I noticed a small rowboat crashed against one of the sharp protruding rocks farther to the left. It was a little ways out across the lake, but it was my only hope of crossing. Now how was I going to get the boat to me? It looked in good condition from here, which made my job easier.

I noticed that there where rocks protruding out across the shore and appeared to lead strait to the small boat. It was going to be risky, but what choice did I have.

As I walked carefully across the wet, slippery surface of the large stones that filled this lake, the wind began to pick up and the waves from the lake started to hit the sides of the rocks, spraying salty lake water into my mouth. That's probably why they called it the lake of tear. It sure tasted like them.

I was so close to the little rowboat, but I just couldn't reach it. It was inevitable I was going to have to get my feet wet. I took a chance and jumped into the water, feet first. When I felt my feet hit the bottom I launched myself skyward to the surface, trying to blow the water out of my nose, it stung like nobodies business. As the water reseeded from the rocky shoreline it brought me one step closer to the boat. The wind had picked up pronominally in the past few minutes, blowing the mist away from the castle like structure. I could truly see its detail now, dark, mysterious and old beyond belief. I used what ever strength I had left to swim closer to the boat and with one powerful push from the waves I ended up inside the boat just as the wave pushed it out of its wedge between the large, tooth like stones. I don't know how these things work out for me but they do.

I rowed back to shore to pick up my bag and saying my goodbyes to Tosca. He didn't appear to understand that I was leaving him here, until I got into the boat and pushed off from shore. He whinnied several times, very loudly and ran after me through the water until it got to deep.

As I rowed on, bobbing over the intensifying waves, I could hear Tosca whinnying in the background. I took a look behind me and I could still see him galloping along the shore, back and forward. Every now and then he would gallop full speed into the bush only to come out at top speed, halting when the water got to deep. It was a painful site but what was I going to do. I couldn't bring him with me.

In a matter of minutes I reached the citadel. I had to drag the boat on shore as the tide would drag it out to the middle of the lake and then how would I find my way home…if I ever got home. The castle stood so high up I couldn't crane my neck back enough to see the top. In front of me was a large, I mean immense doorway that stood at lease fifty feet high if not more. I approached it cautiously, not knowing what dwells beyond the doors. They where open enough so I could squeeze my fat butt through, with Cracks and erosion dominating them. Probably from the waves hitting them when the tide came in. The wind howling through the door was so intense that I had to use force to get through the space.

Beyond the door stood a grand hallway that split into many others…this was going to take me awhile to snake my way through this ancient maze and it was only a matter of time before Raziel's time came…

* * *

**AUTHORS NOTE:**

**- Small chapter, but I hope you all liked it. Raziel should be in the next...;)**

**- A special thanks to my good pal Lil V for Beta reading this chapter for me :D.**

**- Thank you for reading and tell me what you think.**

**RIGHTS:**

-** of coarse I do not own any LOK characters. Well all know where it came from.**


	13. Promise Me This

**Chapter 13**

**Promise Me This**

I had already started to snake my way through the citadel's dark halls. My progress was discouraging. I didn't get any further then when I had started, and I quickly found out that this place was a maze, I just couldn't believe it. Could my life get any easier? It must have been for keeping petty adventures out of the vampires' true place of sanctuary. The base of this building is probably all maze, while the second and third possibly consisting of other challenges. I hoped deeply that I was wrong...but I knew I was only fooling myself. The walls were a deep gray-blue and the roof to this floor was not visible...

-

The maze was foggy, and humid beyond belief. The moisture had to be coming from some place. The building was neighboured to the lake though, which made a sense of fogginess. I was hoping to find some kind of exit, but with every turn and twist I lost hope. Hours dragged by slowly, making it seem as though I was wandering these damp halls for days. Sometimes I would wonder if I was going in circles, all the halls looked the same. It was a possible part of the design; thoroughly designed to drive even the calmest and most intelligent minds insane. I found myself going insane as I rounded corner after corner, building up more disappointment.

After some time of walking through the same halls relentlessly and looking at the same walls, I began to notice inscriptions, probably in the ancient vampire language. There were even murals on the walls as I progressed. Perhaps I could use them as a marker, to mark where I have already been. Unfortunately, these vampires where smart to use the same few pictures throughout, probably in an affect to drive you even more mad.

I got out a piece of paper and carefully wrote down the murals depiction, colour, the wall it resided on, and even small chips in the paint. I made a note of the side the mural would be on if I where coming at the other direction. It was a long shot, but I had to do something to help myself. The writing on the walls were most likely descriptions of how to get out from where you where. It must have taken them a long time to construct. Then again, they had forever. The pictures however had nothing descriptive about them, just a winged being standing upright and holding a wavy blade, tip pointed towards the ground and hands rested on the hilt. Their colours varied from a light brown to a gray-blue, there was even the odd red hue every now and then.

I walked on constantly checking my scribbles to make sure I wasn't going in circles. It was getting harder however, for there where more and more pictures on the walls. I sat down in defeat; there was no way I was getting out of here. Skeletons rested along corners and walls. More and more appeared as I went, further and further. At least I was making some progress. As I sat here in a slump I heard a gigantic roar ripple across the maze like a foghorn. I felt an unwary feeling wash over me, like something terrible lurked in this maze to protect its carefully guarded secrets. The torches that lined the maze's walls blow out as a powerful wind swept through the maze almost knocking me onto my feet. A chill rippled down my spine as I thought about what was going to happen to me down here. I never wanted Raziel here more then I ever did before.

It went deafeningly quiet in the maze as I sat here on the floor, alert and ready for anything. There were no more loud screams or any sounds for that matter. I got up slowly from the floor and progressed in the direction I was heading before. I had to feel along the wall, for I couldn't even see my hand in front of my face. Terrified to make any sudden movements I carefully found my way around the corner. There was still no sign of another presence in this maze, other then my sixth sense telling me that I had better move my butt or I could kiss it good bye.

-

I scuffled ahead trying not to think about the noise I had heard earlier or about never making it out of here alive.. I already new the answer. As I crept along the wall I came to a large opening. The walls seemed to circle around something, I looked all around me and I noticed two torches at the top of what appeared to be a very large staircase that circled around a pillar. This was it, the way out of this death pit. As I tried pitifully to find my way to the staircase, I could feel hot moist air creeping down my back. I froze, too scared to turn around and face the danger behind me. I tried to take a step forward only to be halted by the monster itself. Two powerful jaws came crashing down in front of me and I fell back onto the ground. The creature repositioned its self above me, probably getting ready for another lunge. I couldn't see exactly what it looked like, but I figured it to be a snake-like creature, a serpent of some kind that made its home in here for years.

I got to my feet as quickly as possible and high tailed it as fast as I could to the staircase situated 40 feet away. The serpent didn't hesitate, after all I was quite possibly its only meal for several months...or years. While I was running to the stairs, I couldn't help but notice that the serpent had a hard time locating me. It was probably just as blind as I was. The torches going out seemed to make us equal. I wondered if the vampires carefully orchestrated this. If it were a snake like creature it probably relied on smell and sound, so I tried as hard as I could to stay quiet; there was nothing I could do about the smell though.

I could feel the creature swerving back and forth behind me, searching the area desperately. When the swerving stopped, I could hear its throat rumbling with displeasure and the air blowing out of its nostrils as it took long hard breaths...everything went deafeningly quiet. With my back to the stairs I slowly stepped backwards more and more waiting for any sound to give the creatures position away, but there was nothing...and more nothing. Did it go away? This time I waited, not moving an inch. I heard a small crack like a stone being disturbed behind me, so I carefully pulled my short sword out of its sheath, sweat poring down my face. I tried to calm myself, but it was no use. My breath quickened as each minute passed by with unspeakable torment. I closed my eyes I couldn't see anything anyways. I began to slow my breathing and clam my mind, so all I was focusing on were the sounds that echoed through the maze. Drops of perspiration hitting the floor, bats flapping above me and the sound of the wind howling through from the upper floor was gently pushing my hair around to the front of my face. With my short sword ready in my hands, and the comforting sounds echoing around me, I had to assume the creature had parted.

I was just about to put my sword back in its sheath when I hear the crackling of small stones behind me, the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. I swerved around only to have my view of the top floor obstructed. The glow of the light being omitted from the torches seemed to highlight the edges of the giant serpent. As I stood there in shock, I noticed that the serpent had not moved an inch since I spotted its location "_Was it there this entire time? It doesn't appear to notice me." _I took a few steps back with my sword ready in front of me, but as I took my last step, I stepped on an old piece of debris. I saw the creature position its self. A powerful scream came out of its mouth as its head came crashing down on top of me. "AHH!"

I could feel the sword push through the creatures skull as its continued to force its self into me. Soon the creatures' head got heavy and a worm liquid ran down my hands and down my arms. The head of the serpent came crashing down on top of me and I just managed to dodge it enough to squeeze out form underneath it.

When I got up I franticly tried to wipe the "mysterious" warm liquid off my arms. Just thinking about it gave me the heeby-jeebies. I grabbed my short sword covered in serpent blood and ran up the stairs as fast as my legs could carry me. I wasn't entirely sure if I killed the damned thing. Finally, I could continue my search for Raziel, save him, go home and sleep in 'till noon with out a care in the world.

-

The next floor was nothing but a giant staircase that I have been climbing for what seemed liked hours. The stairs where wide and sloped at a twenty degree angle. Not steep at all, but still seemed to take the breath out of me. I don't know what I preferred more the stairs or the maze.

The stairs where just a tease. They made you feel like you where making progress when really you weren't. Torches where spread 20 feet from one another, creating dark patches as you climbed. As I walked on, it felt as though the stairs were getting steeper and the turns were getting smaller. I hoped deeply that it wasn't me and it was a sure sign I was getting closer to the top.

Just as I rounded the corner, a large two-door entrance with a gargoyle mounted on top, wings coming down half way became viable. I ran up to it with extreme enthusiasm and tried to open the door. It was difficult but I got it open enough to squeeze through. I was relieved to see light spilling through each large pained window in the hallway. The hallway curved as well. I didn't waste any time and as I rounded the corner only to find, yet again, more stairs. I was hoping not to see another for a very long time. I ran up the stairs, thankful that they where short.

After thirty minutes of ruining through the same halls relentlessly, I enter a new part of the building, walls stained a dark gray. They appeared to be old living quarters. The doors lined the walls to the left, and windows lined the right, making the build inviting. The hall still had the same curve as the others, except more decorated. I entered a room to the left, where there was an old bed covered in dust and debris, from the caved in wall to the left of the bed. Bricks lay on top of the torn covers and everything was trashed, bare. I wondered if this was from bandits, tomb robbers, or what ever have you. I walked through the gaping hole in the wall to discover another room. In this room there was just an old wardrobe missing, a door that lay at its base, and a large hole that lead to the upper floor. Old poetry and worthless decor lay inside the wardrobe, toppled over by the fallen shelves. On the bottom shelf there was a beautifully designed dagger, decorated with silver vines and gold floral designs that crawled up the hilt. When I removed the dagger from its sheath the vines crawled a quarter of the way up the blade. More floral and vine designs covered the protective case, with a red band in the centre and a chain attached in a loop. I noticed words inscribed on the blade, which were written in Latin.

_-_

"_Nos es relinquo"_

_-_

I stared at the writing in awe and a deep sadness swallowed me up inside, making me feeling sorrow for a very miss understood race of majestic beings. I slipped the dagger in my pack and climbed the rubble up to the second floors.

The room was large and circular with broken pillars circulating the room for support and old banners torn and faded.. The centre of the room was empty and the exceptionally large windows where cracked or broken, one was completely gouged out. I slowly crossed the room, staring up at the mural the coved the ceiling with winged beings – much like angels, soared through the sky. As I stare up at the ceiling, I had almost forgotten the whole purpose I was here in Nosgoth's past. I took out my camera and snapped pictures of the painting above me and some of the room's banners. I continued my way out of the room and through a doorway that lead to some more stares, but they only took me down. I followed them until I reached another hallway that was barren of windows. There was a door situated in the center of the hall. I tried to open it, but it was no use, the door was barred shut. The only way I could go was down. I walked up to the stair way and a cold piercing breeze swept past me, giving me a chill. I reached into my bag and pulled out a fleece and descended the stairs.

There was no light along the way, just me and my clumsy feet caring me to beyond. The light from the top floor had disappeared very quickly so I couldn't see a thing. I rounded the corner in relief to find a torch, I brought it with me as I entered the area. It appeared to be a brig and the smell was terrible, unlike anything I have ever smelt before. It was stuffy and hard to breathe. As I moved along feeling terrified, I went to open one of the cellar doors. The door I came in from slammed shut and the floor gave way, and the wall of the cell all came crashing down. I hit the floor, my head colliding with a brick. My vision went blurry and I fought to keep myself awake...

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

This hallway was relentless, the more ground I traveled the further everything seemed to get. My curiosity bubbled as I thought about what powerful secrets lay within this chamber and it seemed to string me along this endless corridor like a fly to a web. I only wondered what trick were they going to play on me next as I sprinted the rest of the way, but just as I neared the entrance the floor gave way and I entered a new part of the citadel. I managed to dodge the falling floor above me creating that created barricade from this floor to the top. Infuriated I scanned the floor for a way out. This floor was similar to the one I was currently occupying. The damage seemed to have affected a lot of this floor, most of it heading north. A strange feeling of familiarity washed over me as I thought of Michelle...It couldn't be...How could she have got here, she has no Idea where I am or where this is...does she?

To exit this area I had to pass through the door in font of me, bared shut. I removed the wooden barricade and bashed through to the hall on the other side, my patience was running dry. I headed for the stairs to my left the damage appeared to resonate in that direction. This building is frail, much like Nosgoth in this corruptive time. Most of the staircase was caved as I descended more and more into the dark vortex. I reach a doorway, slightly tilted from the cave in. A terrible feeling of fear hitting me as I tried to open the door, pulling and heaving until the handle pulled off in my hand, I began to kick the door franticly. Not willing to foul around any longer, I stood back and ran at the door full speed crashing through to the other sided. I hit the floor and noticed the whole cellar had caved in. I desperately started to dig through the wall of bricks in an attempt to find somebody I didn't even know was under there.

"Michelle!..."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

I woke up in a daze and rolled over on to my side, forgetting where I was until the smell hit me. "Ugh...my head is killing me" I lay back down on the cold hard cement floor, slightly damp and curled up feeling defeated. I failed everybody, I came here on a mere jealous streak and now my family was going to be the ones to pay for it, I let them all down: my sister, my grandfather, my father, the team and most of all...Raziel. Everyone.

It was lonely down hear and It was dark...and not your ordinary dark ether. It was the kind of dark that never let you close your eyes because you could not tell whether they where closed to begin with. The smell was unlike anything I had ever experienced as well, kind of like a library on a rainy day making it smell of old musty books, except for one distinction. The smell of rotting flesh. It was the first time in my life I had felt truly alone. He was gone and nobody would be able to rescue me from this hell, or even new I was here for that matter. I would probably die here and nobody would give a damn. If only I could have saved him, but...I was too late, and I will never here the sound of his voice ever again. "Oh Raziel...I-I..."

"You what?" I jumped to my feet and stumbled over some bricks in the process.. I couldn't believe my eyes it was him, it was really him. He was breathing heavy and there appeared to be a slight hint of worry in his eyes. I scrambled up the slop of stone, but tripped as I reached the top. I fell into him and he caught me in his arms. I stood here in his arms hugging him as hard as my nimble body could. His hands just lingered on my forearms, probably not sure what to do in this situation again. I smiled.

" I thought you were gone..." He didn't answer "...Can you make me a promise?" I looked him in the eyes and he looked sincere.

"Anything." His voice made me melt.

"Never leave me again..."

"...Never" His response echoed in my mind as I rested my head on his chest and soaked up his warm embrace...I new his promise wasn't obsolete, but that wasn't going to ruin this moment...

* * *

**AUTHORS NOTE:  
**

- **Well I hope you all liked this chapter, it had Raziel in it this time. Not allot of him, BUT he'll be back...he'll be back. That's probably why you read this story :P. Not everybody likes made up characters. **

- **You can send me a review of what you liked and disliked about it if you want. My ears are always open and my mine is always willing to learn of where I can improve.**

**RIGHTS:**

- **I do not own Raziel or any other LOK characters. I only own Michelle in this chapter.**

**HONORABLE MENTION:**

- **Everybody give Little Vamp a big round of applause for prof reading my story for me and getting it up here for the weekend.**


End file.
